


Project K ( Book 2)

by cherrypotatoes1



Series: Starless Eyes [3]
Category: SB19 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Scientists, Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/M, Vampire Hunters, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:47:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 21,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29736165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrypotatoes1/pseuds/cherrypotatoes1
Summary: Summary:Josh is obsessed.Ydah needs the cure.The Superior has a secret.Serin thinks she knows it.Yup, this is still a vampire story,But now, It’s Josh’ turn.
Series: Starless Eyes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185350





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For Story Updates, follow @starlesseyes.story at Instagram.

Prologue  
Josh’s POV

Drop.  
Drop.  
Drop.  
The water droplets felt heavier as the rain continued to fall.

Splash.  
Splash.  
Splash.  
My shoes crashed with the concrete road below.

Thump.  
Thump.  
Thump.  
Her heart might have wanted to burst out of her chest.

Tick tock.  
Tick tock.  
Tick tock.  
Her time’s running, I don't have to bet. 

The rain became rougher.  
The wind became colder.  
The lightning flashed.  
The thunder crackled.

Hiding is useless.  
That’s common sense.  
The heavy raindrops trickled down my face.  
Come out of the shadows,  
I brought you in this maze.  
That’s why I’m sure that this game,   
I will surely ace.

More splashes of water were heard.  
Gotcha! I said.  
Drops of blood,  
Flowed with the rain on the concrete road.  
I told you,  
This is a game I’m used to.

On a dark corner of the empty road.  
Blood was flowing.  
Step by step, I approached.  
There, I found her hiding.

Thanks to the blood you shed,  
I found you with no trouble ahead.  
Don’t be afraid,  
I promise you it’ll be a fast end. 

I’m sorry if you have to end this way,  
But people like you should pay.  
I pulled the gun from my coat pocket.  
Lock and load, this soon you’ll forget.  
You won’t remember a thing.  
That’s the time you leave the world of the living. 

I’ve seen things,  
Met different beings.  
Both good and bad,  
Not sure whose favor to confide.  
But at the end, I have decided,  
For the cure that’s badly needed. 

I may be a villain in your eyes,  
But are you sure these aren’t lies?  
I have my reason.  
And it’s something that may seem like a fiction.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1  
Serin’s POV

The tap of my heels echoed in the empty office.  
Six in the morning,   
I only have two hours to finish my mission.

“The red journal, just the red journal then leave”  
I told myself as I stopped in front of his office. 

“I thought you were smart.”  
He said as he sat comfortably on his chair.  
I clearly remember him saying those insulting words.

“I may not be as smart as you think,   
But never underestimate my connections.”  
I told myself as I looked at the camera at the top of his office door.  
I then lifted my right hand.  
Keys started to jingle.

I looked at the keys,  
Choose the one labeled with “Superior’s Office”.  
I then inserted it at the knob.  
And just like that, his office welcomed me.

His office is cold and dark,  
But I didn’t bother turning the lights on.  
That’s just calling for unnecessary attention,  
I’m still an intruder after all.

I reached for the phone inside my lab pocket,   
Used it as a flashlight and maneuvered my way towards his station.  
I can remember him pulling that red journal from one of the drawers on that table.

The top of his table is plain boring.  
His computer, some fountain pens, some unnecessary folders, and a tabletop name holder.  
Of course, his name was in it.  
It has a big “Superior” at the bottom.  
Personally, I think my name looks better on that plate.  
And I’ll make sure that happens soon.

I then walked around the table.  
I adjusted my glasses, then I started opening the drawers.  
Am I just lucky or is he careless as well?  
All of the drawers don’t have locks.  
What an easy way to breach someone’s privacy.

Three drawers later,  
At the lowest one.  
I found what I was looking for.  
It’s the red journal.  
It’s sitting atop the folder labeled as Case 18.  
I’m somewhat tempted to “borrow” it as well.

I pulled the journal and discovered that there’s another journal under it.  
They were identical,   
Both have the numbers 9 and 5 inscribed in silver.

I remember him showing me the folder and one of the journals.  
Taking them all will look too obvious.

Then I received a message from one of the security personnel stationed at the building’s entrance.  
“Ma’am he’s already here.”  
He was early.  
I thought it would take him longer.  
I guess he doesn’t really care about his subordinates.  
One of his scientists just died from a vampire attack.  
How unfortunate.

With that, I just decided to get one of the two.  
I didn’t even bother opening it.  
If I got the wrong journal, I could just come back and grab the other one.  
His office is basically an extension of the archives for me now.  
I have the spare keys.  
Connections.

I then pulled the small drawstring pouch from my coat pocket and stuffed the journal inside  
I made sure that everything stayed the same.  
As if I didn’t “visit” his office.  
Then, I left Josh’s office.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2  
Serin’s POV

He saw me.

Yes, he saw me.  
I thought I could get away without running into him.  
I was wrong.

“Did you find what you’re looking for?”  
He asked me as soon as he stepped outside the elevator.  
He looked at me intently.   
He has a pair of beautiful eyes.  
But just like always, they’re cold.

“Yes, I’m digging your grave but that doesn’t mean that everything I do concern you.”  
I said.

“Then why are you here?  
This is not the floor where your office is.”  
I held the drawstring bag tighter.

“The ladies’ room is still closed at my floor.  
I need to do my thing.  
Do you still want to listen?”  
That was a stupid reason.  
And I’m sure he didn’t believe it.  
However, it was again luck when the elevator doors opened.  
I hopped inside and left him without looking back.

My normal breathing was restored after I locked the door of my office.  
To be honest, even how beautifully executed your plan is,  
If you’re in the verge of being caught,  
You will always feel the jitters.

He’s not supposed to arrive this early.  
He arrives daily at eight, it’s just thirty minutes after six.  
On top of that, I knew for certain that he was supposed to be on a crime scene right now.  
These past few days, they were trying to hunt a vampire that terrorized the facility.  
They even used a scientist from Josh’s team as a bait.  
And now, she also died.  
If I was the Superior, that wouldn’t have happened.

For months now, I’ve been trying to evict Josh from his position as superior.  
Why?  
Because I don’t trust him.  
Not a single bit.  
He seemed too good to be true.

The way he was admitted at the facility also bothered me.  
Every scientist who works at the facility is handpicked and chosen meticulously.  
But in his case, he just popped out of nowhere  
We only know that he was endorsed by a past Facility Director.  
Anyone with that privilege will surely be accepted and is guaranteed preferential treatment.  
And that’s what he got.

That’s also one of the reasons why he became the Superior even though I was here longer.  
And I hated it.  
He straight up stole that position from me

Yes, he’s brilliant.  
He knew everything about the Facility.  
The experiments, projects, even simple things.  
It’s as if he’d done it many many times before.  
He might have studied under someone who worked at the facility.  
But something felt strange about him.

“I thought you were smart.”  
I recalled him insulting me as I laid the red journal on the top of my table.

Yes, I hated that Josh got my dream position.  
I have worked so hard and proved myself to deem my legibility.  
My managers have been preparing me to take that position for years.  
But with just a blink of an eye, someone stole it.

As he started becoming the Superior.  
Many weird things happened.  
There were suddenly new projects.  
Some of them we don’t even know what the purpose of.  
Death also increased,   
To facility employees and vampires as well.

But do you know what’s even weirder?  
Josh is obsessed with finding the cure for vampirism.  
But every time someone touches that subject,  
He dismisses it.  
It feels like he desperately needs the cure for someone,  
But he doesn’t want anybody’s help because he’s hiding something.  
I think he’s hiding a vampire.

That is how I came across Project K.  
A project where scientists from the facility turn perfectly fine human beings to vampires.  
It sounds absurd but wait until you hear the next part.  
After they become vampires,  
The facility will now look for a cure to turn these vampires back to humans.  
Why did they do that?  
There’s no reason indicated in the Scientific Journal.  
There were only daily logs made by two scientists;  
Both using codes to hide their identities, PY, and SC.

If you think that Project K makes no sense,  
You’re correct.  
After the two volunteers, Cases 16 and 17, died due to failed antidotes,  
Project K has ended.   
Documents were stashed on the deepest parts of the facility archives.  
They were left rotting there for 25 years until someone retrieved them.  
It was Josh.  
And that’s where I come to the picture.

You see, Project K was indeed problematic and wasteful.  
But it did provide information about vampire venom and possible cures in general.  
If you wanted to read about how vampires become vampires and how their venom works,  
The notes form Project K will surely give you substantial information.

Let’s go back to the cure,   
It only mentioned “Possible” cures, not the real cure.  
The real cure was not developed as Project K was ended prematurely.  
There were unfinished tests, unfinished notes, and a missing volunteer.   
Case 18.

Notes of Case 18’s transformation were all over the last pages of the scientific Journal.  
But none of them mentioned what happened after Case 18 became a vampire.  
He or She may still be alive.  
We don’t know.  
Nobody knows.

I tried confronting Josh about this.  
I even told him that once I discovered the reason behind his obsession in finding the cure,  
Which I believe is him caring for a vampire,  
He will surely go down the drain.

I looked at the red journal in front of me.  
I did mention that there were missing notes regarding Case 18 right?  
According to Josh, all questions will be answered by the notes inside this journal.  
Why?  
“The head scientist is the owner of this journal.”  
I recalled him saying.

I wouldn’t question how Josh got these documents,  
He was backed up by a past Director.  
That meant he has connections outside the Facility as well.

I remembered the folder below it.  
Case 18’s folder.  
Everything you need to know about the volunteer is written there.  
Name, occupation, reason why he agreed on the experiment, even a photo.  
I’ll just come back tomorrow to get it.

I opened the journal and prepared to read.  
Several pages later,  
I almost wanted to kill myself in frustration with what I discovered.  
I should have checked the journal before leaving his office.

I should have picked the other one.  
The one that I have right now is quite unexpected.  
It was Josh’s Personal Journal.

I almost wanted to throw the journal away,  
Then I remembered the saying,  
“Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”

Come to think of it, seeing things in his point of view will help me understand how he thinks.  
Maybe, I could even get substantial information from his notes as well.  
And I’m looking for his flaws, right?  
Maybe I can discover something from his mysterious identity.   
Something I can use against him.  
That’s actually better.  
It’s a blessing in disguise after all.

With that, I decided to read Josh’s Journal.  
However, within the first couple of minutes,  
I found out that this is something I’m not prepared to read.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3  
Josh’s POV

“I hate the rain.”  
I said while staring at the droplets of water racing down my windshield.  
I have always hated the rain.

Losing a cared-for colleague will surely trigger painful memories.  
Some felt that I was only using Pau to catch the vampire.  
But I did care for her.  
She was like a sister to me.  
She was special,   
But her stubbornness got herself killed.  
I sighed.

Every time it rains,   
I say goodbye to people.   
With those goodbyes,   
Terrible things happen.  
Were they all just coincidences?

I’m already holding my umbrella but I refused to get out of my car.  
I can see people running to avoid the rain pouring.  
Most people would do that including me,  
But I remember someone doing the opposite every time it rained.  
Ydah...

With that, I opened my umbrella and got out of my car.  
I can clearly hear the droplets of rain hitting my umbrella.  
She was right,   
The sound it makes is peaceful.  
It’s calming.  
But that would never change the way I feel about the rain.  
I will always hate it.  
It always makes me sad.

Surely, losing colleagues will give you a heavy heart.  
I’ve already lost a ton of them,  
Including her.

And just like that,   
I was back inside the old waiting shed.  
Sitting a meter away from her.  
I was clutching the handcuffs I prepared.  
Safety measures.  
She used it before,  
I might as well be prepared.

“I hope this helps.  
This is the best I could do to help you.  
The following days will become harder,   
Everything will be different.  
I would become a different person.”

Her voice was ice cold.  
Her stares were lifeless and emotionless.   
She was sitting at the right end of the bench.

The cold air started to blow.  
Small droplets of rain appeared  
But why did this supposed-to-be-happy reunion turn into a melodramatic farewell?   
This was not the plan.

She placed the red journal on the space between us. 

“If we see each other again,  
It would surely be unfortunate.   
By then, I won’t be at your side anymore.”

‘Hi, how are you?’   
Are the proper words to use when meeting someone you haven’t seen for a long time.  
My brain must be wrong,   
But the words she said meant different,  
‘Bye, let’s not meet again’.

“I was afraid that it would end like this.  
And it did.  
Let’s face it,  
There’s no cure.  
I’m sorry”

She said as she stood up.   
I didn't bother looking at her.  
It would be too painful.   
I can’t watch her leave again.  
I just stared at the handcuffs I'm holding.   
I sighed.   
When I looked back at where she was,  
She's already gone.  
The rain poured harder and I snapped back to reality. 

"I have found the cure.  
And I'll bring it to you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4  
Josh’s POV

As I walk inside the main building of the facility,  
I felt a couple of people staring at me.  
It’s quite obvious that something’s wrong.  
I rode the elevator and pressed the floor where my office is.  
When the doors opened,   
I confirmed that something was indeed wrong.

Right in front of me was my biggest fan, Serin.  
“Did you find what you’re looking for?”  
I asked her.  
She never visits my office unless she discovers something bad about me.  
And what could be the reason she’s here?  
She must have borrowed something from me.  
Without my permission.  
I looked at the bag she's holding.

“The ladies’ room is still closed at my floor.  
I need to do my thing.  
Do you still want to listen?”  
She said.  
Lies.   
She should be more creative in making excuses,  
It’s too obvious.

Luckily, the elevator doors opened.  
She was saved this time.  
But would she be saved once I discovered what document she “borrowed” from me?

I then walked to my office.  
I unlocked the door and walked straight to my desk.  
I opened the lowest drawer.

These past few weeks,  
She’d been pestering me about my alleged involvement with Project K.  
Why?  
Because I’m obsessed with finding the cure.  
And I’m the last one to access those documents from the archives.  
With just that, she assumed that I know someone who’s a part of that project.  
She believes that I have something to do with Project K.  
Isn’t that funny?

Well, just yesterday,   
I showed her the documents I received from a friend.   
Case 18’s folder and the red journal.  
They were parting gifts.

I looked at the inside of the drawer,  
The gifts were still inside.  
I have already expected that she’ll try getting these,  
But I didn’t expect her to do it that fast.

Plot twist.  
She got the wrong journal.  
My journal.  
And that’s something I don’t want people to just casually read.

I sighed.  
I then reached for my phone.  
Dialed a number.

“Hello.”  
A deep voice answered.  
“I have a job for you.”  
I answered.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5  
Serin’s POV

“It was a sunny day when I first met her.  
Nope, it was really a rainy day.  
I was sitting at a shed,   
Waiting for 8 o’clock so that I can start my first day at The Facility.”

I came for facts that I could use to destroy him,  
But I ended up finding memoirs about a girl he cared about.   
I shouldn’t be reading this,  
But it was entertaining.  
It gives me a glimpse of how human Josh is.  
He always acts like this overcontrolled superior that doesn’t have feelings.   
But in reality, he’s still human.

I continued reading 

“The unexpected downpour started early.  
People started running around looking for a place to cover themselves from the heavy rain.  
It was really unexpected,   
It seemed that no one brought an umbrella.  
I, as well, don’t have one.

Then, all of a sudden, I heard the sound of an umbrella opening beside me.  
I almost forgot that I had company.  
I looked at her.  
She was wearing a scientist’s lab coat.  
She was also wearing an oversized red jacket over it.  
I tried looking at her Identification card.  
But I can’t see her name.

She must have felt that I’m looking at her.  
She looked at me.  
Her hair was tied back and was wearing eyeglasses.  
‘I have my own ways of knowing.’  
She was talking about the rain.  
She smiled.

Maybe I was shocked by her random quip.  
I failed to answer her back.  
So she smiled again.  
Grabbed her red umbrella.  
And walked straight into the rain.  
Her white sneakers getting wet in the process.”

While reading that part, I unconsciously smiled as well.  
It must have been funny seeing a flustered Josh.

“I watched her as she walked into the empty field in front of the shed.  
She walked farther and farther,  
Then she stopped right in the middle of the field.  
Weirdly, she just stood there.  
Motionless.  
Heavy droplets of rain showered her.

Five minutes have passed and she’s still standing there.  
Ten minutes,  
Fifteen minutes,  
The rain stopped.  
However, she didn’t close her umbrella.  
She then slowly left her spot.  
Her head was bowed down as she walked nearer and nearer.  
When she passed by me.  
I noticed that her eyes were swollen.”

She must have hated the rain as well,  
But whoever this girl was,  
Josh might have liked her a lot.

Reading the journal,  
I can feel the longing,   
But most of all, I feel the love.  
This journal was written for someone he doesn’t want to forget.  
Everything’s written as if he wanted to rekindle every inch of emotion he felt when they’re together.  
The notes inside the journal felt like heartfelt letters for her.  
These notes transport me to a different time.  
A time where Josh was not The Superior we know,  
A time where he was happy.

Then it got me thinking,  
Where could she be?  
Is she the reason behind Josh’s obsession in wanting to find the cure?  
Did she become a vampire?  
If so, how?

I paused.  
If she is indeed a vampire,   
Josh is illegally hiding her from the Facility.  
It would be a great violation.  
A violation that could kick him out of his position.

Then, I realized I just found what I was looking for.  
Something that I could use against Josh.  
Well, reading his journal has its advantages after all.  
With that, I continued reading his journal looking for more evidence.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6  
Josh’s POV

I was standing near my window.  
It’s still raining.  
It was an incredibly long rain.  
This rain should stop soon or I’ll end up remembering all the memories I had with her 

“You don’t have an umbrella.”  
I told her.  
Raindrops are violently crashing in the roof of the shed we’re staying on.  
It was raining, again.  
I expected her to bring an umbrella.  
She always does.  
She has her own weather forecast,  
She can tell when the rain will be.  
But recently, it seems like she doesn’t care about the rain anymore.

“Because I don’t need it anymore.  
You know,   
I don’t use umbrellas the way they’re meant to be used.”  
She said as she continued looking at the raindrops falling from the roof.  
She’s hugging the old surveillance cameras we took from the shed.

I was still looking at her when the thunder boomed.  
I’m not afraid of lightning and thunder but the sound surprised me.  
She looked and laughed at me.

“I didn’t know you’re afraid of thunder.”  
She continued laughing.  
She was teasing me. 

“I just don’t like rain in general.”  
I defensively answered back.

“Why?”  
She asked me.

“I don’t know.   
It’s just too sad and gloomy.  
You know in movies,  
It rains when people say goodbye.”  
I answered.

“You watch too much drama.”  
She laughed.

“Is that statement really coming from someone who cries in the middle of nowhere,   
under an umbrella, every time it rained?”  
Yes, it’s too dramatic but she really does that.  
For her, crying under the rain is the best cure for her “illness”,  
Sadness.

“I no longer do that”  
She told me.

“Why?”  
I asked her.

“Thanks to you.  
But I still love the rain though.”

She paused and walked to my side.

“You don’t like the rain?  
Really?”

She asked me.  
Again.  
I narrowed my eyes and shook my head.

“How about, I make you love it?”  
She asked as she pushed me outside the shed.  
Moments later,   
I landed butt first on the wet road.  
Raindrops are now falling on my face.  
I was too shocked to stand up and go back to the shed.  
I’m now soaking wet.

I looked at her still hugging the old surveillance cameras.  
She was laughing hysterically.

“Thanks to you…”  
I recalled her saying a while ago.  
Being one of the reasons why she no longer carries an umbrella,  
And cry under the rain,  
I’m honored.  
It’s a pleasure to be the cure for her illness.  
Even though it’s just temporary.

She already stopped laughing when I stood up.  
She looked slyly.  
As if enjoying my water-drenched look. 

I then walked towards her.  
A veil of droplets separating us.  
I looked at her.   
Then, I pulled her towards me.  
Outside the shed and into the pouring rain.

The old cameras fell down on the wet road.  
I was holding her inside my arms.  
Our eyes met.  
We were only several inches apart.

We’re now both drenched from the rain.  
Droplets of water cascaded down her face.  
She was as shocked as I am.  
I’m quite sure she’s blushing.

We've been friends for a while now,   
But the feelings I have for her were not friendly at all.  
It's more than that.  
I always tell her how much I liked her but she always shrugs it off,  
Thinking I'm all jokes.  
I'm her best friend after all.

Best friend.  
Friend...  
And it hurt so bad being "just her friend"

At this very moment,  
Under the rain,  
With just the two of us.  
I want to do something a lover would do.  
I wanted to kiss her.

Then, I did something she didn’t expect,  
I pulled her closer and hugged her  
I wanted to kiss her so badly.  
But me doing that would surely create a barrier between us.  
And I can’t let that happen.  
At least for now

When I let go from the hug,  
She’s still looking at me.  
Confused.  
I just smiled back.  
Then all of a sudden she started shaking her head and started shouting.  
“No! No! No!”

She then immediately picked up the cameras from the wet road.  
“I hate you,   
Why did you do that?  
Everything’s a mess already!  
I really hate you!”  
She continued mumbling as she picked the broken parts of the camera.

Well, the cameras were broken from being soaked.  
We did get a bit of beating for accidentally breaking a company property.  
Yes, that was a bad thing.  
But for me, the broken camera was a blessing.  
Because of that, I’ll have a good memory that I'll remember every time it rained.

She indeed made me love the rain.  
Temporarily.  
Because the next thing that happened under the pouring rain,  
They were memories I don’t want to remember anymore.

A bittersweet smile formed on my lips as the memory ended.  
Ydah…  
Who is she?  
She’s the reason behind all of these.  
Well, she’s the reason I’m obsessed with the cure.  
She was once so desperate to find it.

I looked at the gifts she gave me before we parted ways.  
The red journal and case 18’s folder.  
They were placed on the top of my table.  
When we said goodbye,  
Her drive in finding the cure already faded.  
She gave me these thinking I could develop it for her.

Well, I did try.  
I tried extracting blood from vampires and mixing them with other things.  
I even experimented with other vampires just to get the proper formula.  
But all failed.  
Most of my experiments died.  
They all died.

Several times, I almost gave up.  
Then I saw Pau’s experiment.  
And based on what’s written on the paper we found at her house,  
The antigen she made is taking effect.  
I just need to catch that vampire.  
Once I catch him,   
I’ll empty up all the blood in his body.  
Then, I’ll get the cure and show it to Ydah.

Maybe, in that way,   
I could bring her back.  
Back to her old passionate self.  
Back to her happy self.  
Back to my side.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7  
Serin’s POV

"I have cracked The Superior's secret?  
Isn't that amazing"

I told someone from the other line.  
She is one of the Director's Secretaries.  
I told you I have connections.  
She was a friend from my training days.  
She also felt that something's weird about Josh.  
And she's one of my accomplices in this war against him.  
Her name's Tin.

"How did you do that?"   
She asked.

"I found his journal.  
I read it.  
Also, remember the documents you helped me get from the Archives.  
Project K?  
Do you remember the missing documents?  
Case 18's folder.  
He has those.  
And I will get them tonight."

"Serin, I support you with anything,  
But isn't that too dangerous?  
If what you told me is true,  
I wouldn't dare coming back to his office again."  
I could hear the sincerity from her voice.

"Tin, I've been trying to find the answers for months now.  
The answers are already in front of my face.  
I can't let it slip.  
I just have to get the evidence."

"You know he's smart.  
He was so good at hiding.  
I know for certain that he won't let you just spill it."

"If he knew it, I would have been dead by now.  
Some of my connections said that he looked preoccupied today.  
They said he ordered a larger unit to hunt that vampire.  
They also said that he already left home early."

"Him going home early,   
Doesn't give you much of a security or whatsoever.  
He's still dangerous.  
Serin, stop.  
Please."

"I'm sorry,  
I can't."  
There was silence.

“Tin, thank you for sending me the professional files.  
Even though you’ll be in trouble for accessing those.  
It really helped a lot.”

“No problem, but you owe me coffee.  
But, for your information, those files were hard to find.  
Well one’s easier because she’s quite famous.  
The other one, his records ended 25 years ago.  
And you know what’s weird,  
He just disappeared without trace.  
No resignation forms, no termination.  
He’s weird.”

“He’s indeed weird.  
Anyways, thank you for everything.  
Soon, everything will be sorted out.  
And we won’t act like spies anymore.”  
I told her.  
We shared a little laugh.  
Then, I ended the call.

I looked at Josh's journal at the top of my desk.  
Yes, it took me the whole day to finish it but it was more than what I bargained for.  
The journal showed me how he loved someone he's not supposed to.  
It also showed me how he could sacrifice things for that girl.  
I applaud him for that part,  
I somewhat started to admire him.

However, discovering how he basically bent time,  
Entered the facility for the second time around,  
Made questionable projects that resulted in numerous deaths,  
And most of all, pretending someone that he's not.  
He deserves more than just being stripped from his position.  
He needs to be arrested,

To be honest,   
I'm scared too.  
But if I wouldn't do it,  
Who would?  
No one.

Yes, Josh is someone who you don’t want to mess with.  
I now understand what he’s capable of.  
I started to worry for myself.  
But I have to finish what I started.  
I can now see the end of the tunnel.

My phone rang,  
It was a call from the surveillance department.  
"The floor's empty"  
These are the connections that helped me get Josh's journal earlier today.

I felt like a spy while doing this mission.  
I then stood up,  
Dropped my phone,   
Grabbed the keys,  
And marched to Josh's office.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8  
Serin’s POV

It turns out that getting the documents was easier and less scary than I expected.  
I have already left Josh's office.  
The journal and Case 18's folder,  
They're in my hands.

I opened Case 18's folder,  
I saw what I was expecting to see.  
The folder contains the name, affiliation, data, and photo of the volunteer.  
I felt victorious holding the documents.  
After all these months,   
I found a way to beat Josh.

Then the elevator doors opened.  
I saw a man wearing a black hoodie and a mask.  
I started feeling chills all over my body.  
I knew for certain that he's after the documents.  
I held on it tighter and took a step back.

He stepped outside the elevator and walked near me.  
He then removed his mask and pulled the hood down.  
My heart raced double time.  
His eyes looked straight at mine.  
They were beautiful,  
But just like always,  
They were ice cold. 

He looked at the documents and back at my eyes.  
He smiled.  
No matter how beautiful his smile was,  
You wouldn't want to see it.  
It's a sinister smile.

"To be honest,  
I'm a bit disappointed.  
It took you months."  
Josh said.

Running is better than fighting back,  
I held the document tighter and started running.  
I looked back and saw Josh just walking.  
I don't know what his plans are,   
But I need to get out of this place before he catches me.  
I reached for the phone inside my coat pocket,  
But it's not there.

I left it in my office.  
Wow, very good decision making Serin.  
They must have called me to warn about Josh's arrival.  
But I didn't know because I didn't bring my phone.

Then all of a sudden,   
The lights went off.  
This is straight-up becoming a thriller movie now.  
And I can guarantee you,   
That I’m not one of those protagonists who makes wrong decisions and ends up dying.  
I looked around me and saw the exit sign.  
So now I'm taking the stairs to escape.  
But do I have a choice?  
No.

I started running towards the sign.  
I was almost at the exit door when someone pulled me.  
I was certain that it was Josh.  
I started to flinch and shout then he covered my mouth.

It's not Josh.  
It was a man I don't know.  
He was wearing a black hoodie with a red scarf around his neck.  
His fashion sense is weird.  
He removed his hands from my mouth and made a "shhh" sign.  
He then stood up and started walking away.

I was weirded out by who he is,  
I almost forgot I was being chased by Josh.  
I just watched him walk away until I could no longer see him.

I tried standing up but when I did,  
The vision around me started to blur.  
I started to hear a long beeping sound.  
Then, I saw Josh emerge from the darkness.  
I tried running but my feet won’t obey me.

I looked back at him,  
He's getting nearer and nearer.  
I tried crawling towards the door.  
Then with a longer and louder beep,  
Everything faded into the darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9  
Serin's POV

When I woke up,  
I was back at the Facility.  
However, it felt so different.  
It felt like I was transported to another time.  
It felt strange yet familiar.

I walked down the aisle of the working floor.  
I saw computers,  
Old ones.  
Those from the late ‘90s.  
I looked at the papers atop one of the tables.  
They were projects made by people long gone.

Did I just travel back time?

I continued walking.  
When I was at the end of the room,  
I heard voices.  
It was a woman and a man's voice.  
The woman's voice was shaky.  
I think she must have been crying.  
The man's voice,  
It was familiar.

"What happened to you?  
Ever since you came back,   
You looked sickly,  
You haven't eaten normally for days,  
You don't even sleep.  
You're having these weird bruises on your arms.  
Your eyes are always swollen.  
What's happening?  
Tell me.  
You’re starting to look like a vampire."

Said the familiar voice.  
His voice was angry,  
But you can tell that he's worried.

"I need to find the cure.  
I need to find it."  
Said the woman’s voice.

I followed the voice and saw the people behind the voices.  
It was Josh and the girl from his Journal.  
How is that even possible?

Then, I realized I was inside Josh's memory.  
Or at least the memories from his journal.   
This is how he saw the events unfold.  
Everything I'm seeing right now is written inside his journal.

The woman spoke.  
Her messy hair was tied in a low ponytail.  
Her rectangular glasses were foggy from crying.  
The nameplate pinned on her white lab coat showed her name.  
It was Ydah.

"Everything's already sorted out,  
My uncle already agreed.  
I can do the tests,  
I can start the experiments.  
I will find the cure.  
Will you help me?"  
She asked Josh.

Josh was stunned.  
He doesn't know how to respond.  
It’s clear that he’s still confused and doesn't understand what’s happening.  
But from his expression,  
It clearly shows how worried he is.

"Please"  
She pleaded with Josh.

"You're the only person I can trust right now."  
She added.

“This is a secret project.  
No one must know this.  
And I trust you with that.  
I also need your knowledge to help me with this project.”  
Josh is still uncertain.

“Josh, I need you.  
Please”

Josh was silent.  
His head was bowed down.  
After a minute or so,  
Josh looked at her.  
He nodded.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10  
Serin's POV

I’m still inside Josh’s memories,  
But now, the scene has changed.  
I was now standing in the middle of an empty field.  
It was the middle of the night.  
I looked at the night sky above me.  
It was a full moon.

I looked at the field surrounding me.  
It looked foreign,  
But then again,  
This place also looked familiar.  
I've been here.

I was once here,   
Looking for something that will spark the downfall of Josh.  
He visited this place numerous times,  
He even sent Pau, Josh’s subordinate who was killed by a vampire, here so that she could hide   
At the nearby shed,   
A kilometer away from here,  
A shot-out with the vampire happened.  
They thought they had killed the vampire.  
Then, after several days he came back and awarded Pau his vengeance.

Going back to this place that Josh regularly visited,  
Nobody really knew what he did here.  
I'm not even aware of the existence of this facility property.  
Because of curiosity, I decided to investigate.  
And what did I find?  
It’s not much, but old hidden graves don't amuse me anymore.

I first thought, they must have been people important to Josh.  
Maybe a couple of mentors that taught him everything he knew about the facility.  
It may sound cliche,  
But I was indeed wrong.

All of a sudden,  
I can now hear Josh and Ydah’s voices behind me.  
I turned around and looked at them.  
They were doing something.  
They were digging.

The faint light from the flashlight that’s lying on the ground showed me how frustrated Ydah is.  
She was sulking out of disappointment.  
She was sitting on the ground,   
She let out a heavy sigh.  
Wiping her tears every now and then.

I looked at Josh,  
He's inside a three feet hole in the ground.  
And he's still digging to make it deeper.  
Not far from where he is a body bag.  
Someone's inside it.  
I know it.

I looked back at Ydah.  
She’s now hugging her knees,  
Her sobs echoed in the darkness of the night.

Josh stopped digging and walked towards Ydah.  
"Don't lose hope.”  
He tried to reach for Ydah’s face to wipe the tears.  
She refused.

“We'll find a new volunteer.  
Then we'll find the cure."  
He said while still trying to comfort her.

"No...  
Nothing’s happening the way I planned it to be.  
I promised to find a cure.  
But I can't.  
It's impossible.  
I even killed two people before believing that turning vampires back to humans is impossible."   
There was pain, frustration, and remorse in her voice.

"I promised that I'll return them back home.  
I promised that they'll see their families once again,  
But look,  
They're dead.  
They didn't even have the chance to be buried properly."

Josh just looked at her.

"I'm a failure.  
I thought I knew better.  
I thought I was smart enough to get everything correctly.  
I never failed before,  
You know that.  
And failing now,  
It kills me.  
It tortures me.  
I can't do it anymore.  
I don't want to kill anymore."

"I'll do it for you..."  
He did do it for her.

Ydah lifted her head and looked at Josh.  
She looked terrified with what she heard.

"Please don’t add up to my problems Josh,  
We will be in great trouble.  
Don't do anything stupid.  
Especially if it’s for me.  
Please."

"I won't,  
I promise"  
He promised,  
But his fingers were crossed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11  
Serin's POV

For the last time,   
The setting changed.  
I'm now inside a prison cell.  
I peeked outside and saw several machines.  
They were the ones used in the facility.  
But just like before,   
They were old models.

What struck me the most is the broken vials scattered on the floor.  
There were also scattered syringes.  
Drops of red liquid were everywhere.  
I would assume they’re blood.

Suddenly, I heard a sound from the dark corner of the cell,  
It sounded like a piece of metal crashing on the iron bars of the cell.  
I walked nearer and saw someone sitting with his head bowed down.

I told you, I’m not familiar with the place.  
But I’m familiar with the person inside the cell.  
It was Josh.

I walked closer and closer to get a better look at his suffering.  
I was only two feet away from him.  
His breathing was heavy.  
He looked worn out.  
When I looked at his right hand,  
It was handcuffed to the iron bars.  
His wrist is bruised.  
He must have been trying to escape from the cuffs.

Slowly, he lifted his head.  
I am now face to face with him.  
The dim light from outside the cell illuminated his features.

His lips,  
His nose,  
And his eyes.  
His beautiful sad eyes.  
They were staring right back at mine.  
I might have blushed,  
But whatever,  
This is his memory,   
But this is still my dream.  
I control it.

I continued staring at him.  
Then, I noticed something weird with his eyes.  
It looked different.  
I can’t pinpoint what it is but it felt different.  
“He” felt different.

Then his stares grew colder and colder.  
It also felt as if his stares are directed specifically for me.  
Then he spoke.  
"Have you found the answers yet?"

After that, I woke up.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12  
Serin's POV

"Have you found the answers yet?"  
When I woke up,  
I was inside Josh's car.  
He was sitting at the driver's seat.  
While I was sitting at the passenger seat side.  
Immediately, I tried escaping.  
I tried opening the door beside me.  
Obviously, it was locked.

“Not too fast,  
The Superior wants to chat with you.”  
He smiled.

After all the troubles I caused today,  
He still looked calm.  
But I won’t be fooled.  
Behind those sweet smiles,  
I know he’s already thinking of ways to get rid of me.

“Don’t you have something to tell me?  
I believe you borrowed something from me.”  
He said while showing his red journal, the head scientist’s journal, and Case 18’s folder.

“At least say thank you,  
I don’t usually share these things with people because they die after knowing it.  
As much as possible, I don’t really like killing people.  
I’m not yet thirsty.”

With that remark,  
My body started shaking.  
My heart was racing.

“Now, tell me.  
What did you found out?”

I mustered all my courage to respond to him,  
Though my lips were shaking.  
"You're looking for a cure..."

His journal answered my questions about Project K.  
Everything I needed to know.  
First, I figured out who Project K’s Head Scientist is.  
Her code was PY.  
P*******, Ydah.  
The journal was dedicated to her.

Then I recalled reading Ydah’s profile from the files Tin sent me earlier.  
She was the then director’s niece.  
And she was one of The Facility’s best scientists.  
Even after the “Experiment Break” she had in 1995, which is really just Project K.  
She still returned and worked with the facility until she turned 45.  
She had an early retirement and is now staying overseas. 

On Ydah’s stay at The Facility,  
Before Project K was formed,  
She used to train new scientists.  
Her last and best trainee was chosen to be the associate scientist for Project K.  
Code SC. 

Associate Scientist SC was the owner of the files that ended 25 years ago.  
It was the file that Tin was weirded out.  
No resignation papers, not even termination.  
Purposely forgotten.  
Pretended that never existed.

That’s the reason why he came back to work at the facility.  
He wanted to be remembered.  
He wanted to finish what he and Ydah started.  
He wanted to find the cure.  
In fact, he believed he already found it.

But did you know what SC stands for?  
Santos, Cullen.  
Josh “Cullen Santos”.  
He doesn’t use his second name anymore,  
But in his professional Facility Profile, it’s still included.

If you think about it,   
There were two characters in this story that were purposely forgotten for 25 years.  
People acted as if they never existed.  
The “Josh” from Ydah’s Project K and Case 18.

At this point,  
I’m sure you’re starting to get my point.  
The “Josh” from 25 years ago and the “Josh” sitting beside me are the same person.

Then, he was the awkward yet sweet Josh.  
Ydah’s Josh.  
But now, he’s the Facility’s Josh.  
The Superior.  
The mysterious, controlling, and cold Josh.  
It’s terrifying how time changed him.

My silence was broken when Josh spoke.  
"Go on."  
He said, enjoying the whole scenario.

He looked at me.  
He smiled.  
No matter how beautiful that smile is,  
It was a smile I didn't want to see.  
For it was meant to be the last smile I’ll see before he ends me.

My eyes started to water.  
Then, I finally spoke.  
"You're looking for a cure...   
For yourself.  
You're case 18."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13  
Josh’s POV

Seeing someone you love crumble down to pieces was more painful than I ever imagined.  
It's just the ninth day of Project K,  
And that's exactly happening to Ydah.

It's a hard start for her.  
She came back to her old ways.  
She’s crying under the rain again.  
She does that even without her umbrella.  
It's painful to see her that way.

I know that she's suffering internally.  
I tried to talk to her,  
Hoping she'll open up,  
But she never said a thing.

Up until now,   
I don't even know why Project K exists in the first place.  
When I said yes,  
I only did it because I was worried about her.  
I know that she'll overwork herself.

It's only been a year since I came to work at the facility,  
But within that short time,  
We came to know each other.  
She was my trainer at first,   
I was just her trainee.  
Then, I became her best friend,  
She also was my best friend.  
Until she became the source of my happiness.  
I wanted to be more than just her best friend.

She may not be perfect,  
But her flaws make her perfect in her own way.  
She easily gets frustrated.  
She's impatient at times,  
She can be clumsy,  
She likes to gossip,  
She changes her mind easily,  
She's her own chaos  
And I liked her for that.  
She’s the chaos that I’m willing to welcome into my life.

I have always told her what I felt,  
But she just laughs at it,  
Thinking those were jokes.

And I'm fine with that,  
At least she didn't take it seriously.  
I could still be by her side,   
Taking care of her.  
Being her best friend.

If people knew my feelings for her,  
They surely say I'm a martyr.  
But I don’t really care.  
I'm happy being by her side.  
I'm happy seeing her laugh,  
I'm content just to be with her.   
Plus, why would they even care,  
It's my feelings after all.

With that, I sighed.  
I'm currently sitting on the porch of the white cottage-style house we're staying on.  
It's a Facility property.  
At first glance,   
It looked like your common vacation home,  
But under this house is a secret lab and a couple of prison cells.

Project K.  
It's really complicated.  
Turning humans into vampires.  
After that, we turn them back to humans.

It's really inappropriate but why did Ydah agree to headline this type of project.  
It doesn't align with her values or whatsoever.  
On top of that,   
She's so driven in finding the cure.  
She acted as if the life of someone she loved depended on it.

If that's the case,  
Does she already have someone special?  
Is that the reason why she rejects my feelings.  
She always say things like,  
"He needs it"  
"Will he be like them?'  
"Would this antidote help him?"  
I kept on thinking who that mysterious guy is.

Her parents are already gone,   
Her brother as well.  
She doesn't have any male cousins,  
Her uncle, the Director, is perfectly fine.  
I'm also perfectly fine,  
Who could that mysterious guy be?  
A hidden lover?  
A childhood sweetheart?  
Her first love?  
I don't know.

My pondering was interrupted after hearing a loud crash coming from the cells.  
I left the porch and ran to the door leading underground.  
Once I was there,   
I saw what caused the noise.

There were broken glasses everywhere.  
The food was scattered.  
Ydah was standing right in front of the cell door.  
On the other side, right in front of her, was case 16.

Case 16's eyes were wild.  
She was furiously trying to reach Ydah.  
There was blood on her hands,  
There were also traces of blood smeared on her lips.

I looked at Ydah,  
She was shaking,  
Tears were falling down her eyes.  
She looked afraid.

She seemed fine until I saw the left sleeve of her lab coat.  
The ends were torn.  
I ran to her side and snatched her hands.  
She's bleeding.

She has deep scratches on her left hand.  
I looked at her right hand to check if she had wounds there as well,  
Thankfully, there were none.

"Look at what I’ve done,  
I made them monsters.”  
Her voice was shaking.  
She started lifting her wounded hand,   
As if trying to reach for Case 16's face.  
Before she could do that,  
I caught her hand and held it tightly.  
Her blood's just making Case 16 more and more rabid.

"Let's go upstairs,   
Let's fix your wound"  
I said while still holding her wounded hand.

"She was once a wonderful woman,  
She told me about her dream of becoming a writer.  
She has big dreams.  
However, seeing her like that,  
I’m afraid she won't be able to do it.  
Because of me."  
She said while still looking at Case 16.

Her voice was weak.  
She's starting to doubt herself again.  
I can't blame her.  
Case 16 and 17 are just volunteers.  
They knew the repercussions of this test,  
They knew the risks.  
But they still hope that when this project ends,  
They're still alive,  
At least.

"Would he also be like this if he saw me bleeding?  
Would he hurt me?"  
There goes the mystery guy.   
Again.  
I kept saying I'm okay,  
But every time she expresses how much he loves that mystery guy,  
My heart still feels heavy.

"Whoever he is,  
I know for certain that he won't do that to you.  
We’re making an antidote for him.  
We'll be successful.  
He'll become human.  
And you'll be together,  
soon..."

That last part,  
That was painful to say.  
But what hurt me more was the expression she gave me when she heard the word "together".

"Yes, we'll be together soon..."  
Her eyes lit up just like a new candle of hope.  
Whoever that guy is,  
He's lucky.  
That should be me.  
Call me selfish,  
But somehow I wished that we wouldn't find the cure.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14  
Josh's POV

"Thank you for always being by my side.  
Lately, I felt that I've been making bad decisions,  
But choosing you as my Associate Scientist,  
It’s the best decision I’ve made so far."  
Ydah said.  
We were now sitting at the front porch of the house.  
I'm tending to her wounds from Case 16's scratches. 

Ydah then told me how she got them.  
She said she was just chatting with Case 16,  
Just like she always does.  
She said Case 16 started having side effects while she was eating.  
Then, Case 16 started having seizures,  
She then complained about how painful they are.   
She was telling Ydah she can't do it anymore.  
Ydah tried comforting her by holding her hands and trying to calm her down.

Case 16 held her hands back.  
Then, the grip started to get tighter and tighter.  
Ydah began to feel unforgettable and started asking Case 16 to let go of her hand.  
Case 16 refused,   
Instead of letting it go,  
She started digging her nails on Ydah's skin.

Ydah has thin skin,   
Especially in her hands,  
She bruises and bleeds easily.  
With that, Case 16 made Ydah bleed.

Ydah was just lucky that she freed herself and got out of the cell in time.  
Just right before Case 16 lost her rationale and started acting like a monster.

"Please don't hurt yourself again.  
I wouldn't know what to do with you if you become a vampire."  
I said when I finished placing bandages on her hands.

"I know you won't let that happen.  
If I become a vampire,  
You'll just find the cure.  
For me."  
She said.

"How certain are you that I’ll do that?  
I won't devote my life looking for the cure just for you."  
I rolled my eyes.

"I doubt it.  
You're always there to save me.  
If I become a vampire,  
I'm sure you'll find ways to turn me back to human.  
You're always there when I get scratches,  
You’re always there when I have cuts and burns.  
You always fix me."  
She told me.  
She was smiling.

"There would come a time that I won't be there for you.  
I won't be able to tend to your wounds,  
I won't be there to stop your clumsiness.  
I won't be there to lift you up.  
I just simply wouldn't be there,  
Anymore..."  
I said.

Surely, she will think that I’m joking around.  
But, I meant those words.  
For some weird reason,   
I’ve been starting to think about these things lately.  
Maybe because of the mysterious guy she always talks about.  
This whole project was made for him after all.  
I trust Ydah,   
She'll find the cure.  
And once that happens,  
That guy will become human again.  
They'll leave happily.  
And that would be the time that I'll come out of the picture.

"Hey, do you have plans of leaving me?  
We don't have any contracts but you verbally promised me that you won't leave me.  
You've said it a million times before.  
Don't you ever dare to leave me in the middle of this project!  
I'm still your boss."  
She said jokingly.

I just remained silent.

"Are you being serious right now?"  
She asked me.

"Yes, I'm dead serious.  
When you find the cure,  
And "he” becomes human again.  
Of course,  
One way or another,   
I have to leave you."

"Why would you do that?"  
She asked.

The ticking of the clock was the only sound she heard,  
I didn’t respond to her question.  
I looked at her.  
I knew she was trying to understand what I was saying.

Then all of a sudden,   
The sound of her laughter filled the room.  
Then she stopped.  
Her face was serious.

"When he becomes human again,  
I hope that the two of you get along together.  
I want you to show him how to be human again.  
Guide him.  
Make him become a wonderful guy like you."  
She said.  
Her eyes were twinkling.   
She meant those words.  
And it hurts me.

"Why would I do that?  
You know how I feel about you.  
You always laugh about it.  
You always label me as your best friend.  
And I'm okay with that.  
But please don't make me the best man at your wedding."  
I told her. 

Upon hearing what I said,  
Ydah raised her eyebrow.  
"What?"  
She asked.  
Weirded with what I just said.

"If I ever get married,  
He'll be the best man, not you.  
Are you trying to marry me off with my brother?  
You're so weird."

"Brother?"  
I asked her.  
Still confused.

"Yes, my brother.  
All this time,   
You didn't know that Project K was made for my brother?"

"I didn't know,  
You didn't tell me"

"Well, did you even ask?  
And if ever I get married,   
Why would I make you the best man?  
You have a way more important role to fill."  
She was smirking.

At that moment,   
I don't really remember what she said or what happened next.  
Upon hearing the word "brother",  
I felt dumb for not asking.  
I felt ashamed for being jealous.  
But, I felt happier.  
There was no mysterious lover nor fist love.  
And that was the best thing I heard ever since Project K began.

"Remember when I was away for a week,  
My uncle brought me to a place where he kept my brother.  
He'd been there for almost a month before my uncle told me about him.

You remember the story right?  
How he told me that right after my parents were killed by vampires.  
He tried tracking the vampires who were behind those.  
Well, he couldn't avenge my parent’s death.  
Too much damage has been done.  
He’s not in the right position to do that.  
My parents were the reason why this whole conflict started.  
If they didn’t even think of making vampires human in the first place,  
Abducting them,   
Experimenting on them,  
Then eventually killing them in the process.  
Avenging is pointless and is just adding fuel to the flame.

So, going back to my brother,   
His body was never really found.  
My uncle told me that if they indeed abducted him,  
And did what my parents do to the vampires they abducted.  
The chance of him surviving is little.  
He was only eight years old at that time.  
So my uncle told me that I should move on.  
And that’s what I did.”

She stopped and looked at the clouds outside.  
It’ll be night soon.  
The cold breeze blew.  
Rain is coming.

“That’s what I tried doing.”  
She said looking at me.  
I can see that teardrops are now starting to form from her eyes.  
I wanted to hug her but I held back

“Little did I know, my uncle cheated on me.  
He didn’t move on.  
When he was officially promoted to Director,  
He hired professional hunters to track the vampires.

It took him years until a rogue vampire appeared.  
According to his sources, and the data the hunter collected,  
This vampire was indeed my brother.  
They caught him and detained him.  
That was the only time my uncle told me about it."

I can tell how happy she is why she talks about her brother.  
After twelve years,  
She got to see him again.  
She smiled.  
I smiled.

“You know what,  
I didn’t even expect that he'd remember me.  
He still has doubts.  
But that’s not important.  
At least we’d be together soon.”

I now understand why she's so desperate in finding the cure.  
And that just made me more passionate about helping her.  
I would do anything to help her.  
Even if she doesn't ask for it,  
I'd do it for her.  
Making her happy,   
That’s my mission.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15  
Josh’s POV

It was day 15 of Project K,  
Case 16 just expired.  
The first anti-venom we developed, K-1, was a fail.  
The formula turned out to be poisonous once it interacts with the vampire blood.  
Even though Case 16, became a vampire,  
Vampires can’t easily die,   
There's no way she'll rise back from the dead.  
Her organs were destroyed already.  
They were effects of the toxic anti-venom we injected in her system.

As expected, Ydah felt bad.  
She felt like she murdered someone.  
Well, I too, felt the same.  
It really felt wrong,  
It's morally wrong.  
Everything about it is wrong.

It was the reason only two of us knew about this project.  
Make it three, including Ydah's uncle.  
If people from the facility knew that we're experimenting on humans,  
We will surely lose our jobs and go to prison.  
And if the vampires figured out that we're trying to reverse vampirism,  
Not only us, but our families are at risk.  
Just like what happened to Ydah’s parents.  
Ydah only has her uncle and cousins as family.  
As for me, I’ve already been living alone since I was sixteen.  
I have already severed the connections to my real family.  
The only family I have now are my friends. 

And there's Ydah's uncle.  
If people knew that he gave Ydah the reference files.   
As well as a sample of vampire venom that was kept in the director's vault.  
He’ll surely lose his job and end up in prison.

I let out a deep sigh and looked at the shovel I’m holding.  
We just finished burying Case 16.  
We're now sitting inside a shed not far from the grave.  
We’re just waiting for the rain to stop.

I looked at my left.  
Ydah was quietly sitting.  
Every now and then,   
She would wipe her face.  
She was trying to hold back tears.

Then she stood up.  
She was looking at the rain.  
She then started to walk.  
She’s doing it again,  
Crying in the rain.

Right before she could come out of the shed,  
I stood up.  
I let go of the shovel I'm holding,  
Then, I pulled her close to me.  
I hugged her tightly.  
She didn't fight back.

"Why don't you just cry here.  
In my arms.  
You don't have to do that to hide your tears.  
I've seen you cry a million times already.”

She answered me with sobs.

“But, if you still don't want me to see you,  
I’ll just close my eyes.  
And pretend that this didn't happen.  
Please don't go under the rain.  
You’ll get sick.”

She answered with sobs.

“Just stay here, inside my arms."

I said as I hugged her tighter.  
I can feel her sobs are getting louder and louder.  
But I can't do anything about it.  
She wanted to find the cure,  
If we stop now,  
She may not be able to save her brother.  
If that happens,  
She’ll forever blame herself.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16  
Josh’s POV

"Don't lose hope.”  
I tried to reach for Ydah’s face to wipe her tears.  
She refused.  
It was day 18 of Project K.  
Ydah was falling apart.

“We'll find a new volunteer.  
Then we'll find the cure."  
I tried comforting her.  
I too wanted to end the project.  
But I have to be strong.  
I’m the only person she has right now.

"No...  
Nothing’s happening the way I planned it to be.  
I promised to find a cure.  
But I can't.  
It's impossible.  
I even killed two people before believing that turning vampires back to humans is impossible." 

Ydah’s devastated.  
Case 17 also expired because of the anti-venom given to him.  
The anti-venom was too strong.  
His body was not capable of handling it.  
Once the anti-venom entered his bloodstream,  
It immediately poisoned everything that it touched.

He was painful to watch.  
Half-way through the anti-venom transfusion,  
Case 17’s pain was already unbearable.  
He was starting to cry tears of blood.  
His body changed in color.  
His vitals went haywire.

Then, all of a sudden,   
Ydah pulled the plug and injected him with a drug.  
A drug that will end his pain.  
Forever.

Ydah said she couldn’t bear seeing her brother suffer the same way.  
She said that she’d rather halt the project and let his brother live the way he wanted.  
We wouldn’t risk making him human if that would mean he could kill him in the process.

"I promised that I'll return them back home.  
I promised that they'll see their families once again,  
But look,  
They're all dead.  
They didn't even have the chance to be buried properly."

I looked at the body bag beside the hole I was digging.  
Case 17, I was in charge of him.  
He was a scientist as well,   
He didn't need the money.  
He just wanted to be a part of something that could break barriers in the scientific world.  
But if this project ends without any conclusion,  
Everything will be senseless.  
A total failure.  
A trainwreck.

"I'm a failure.  
I thought I knew better.  
I thought I was smart enough to get everything correctly.  
I never failed before,  
You know that.  
And failing now,  
It kills me.  
It tortures me.  
I can't do it anymore.  
I don't want to kill anymore."

Neither do I.  
Who wants to kill innocent people?  
Who wants to stay up all night thinking about those wasted lives,  
Acting like this project didn’t happen.  
Killing these people will forever be engraved within my conscience.  
No one wanted it,  
But we don’t have a choice.

I also don’t want to be just here watching Ydah mope and hurt herself.  
I want to help her.  
But being just an associate scientist,  
It’s not enough.  
I need to do something more than that.

"I'll do it for you..."  
I only thought of Ydah while saying those words.

“Until where will you follow this girl?  
I know she’s special.  
How much are you willing to sacrifice to show her how much you cared?”  
I remember Case 17 asking me those questions.  
At that time I knew for certain that I’m willing to do anything for her.  
But I never imagined that this moment would arrive.

Ydah lifted her head and looked at me.

"Please don’t add up to my problems Josh,  
We will be in great trouble.  
Don't do anything stupid.  
Especially if it’s for me.  
Please."

She’s smart.  
I know that she knows what I’m thinking.

"I won't,  
I promise"  
I told her as I placed my hands behind me,  
I crossed my fingers.

After that,   
I did something that she dreaded.  
Something that will haunt us both forever.  
I became what she didn’t want me to be.  
I became what ended her parent’s lives.  
I became what his brother is.  
I became what I’m afraid of.  
I became a vampire.  
For her…


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17  
Josh’s POV

There will always be a rainbow after the rain.  
Most of the time there is.  
If the rain ends.  
Seldom, rain lasts longer.  
Some don't even end.  
The same thing happened to Ydah.

I thought I could show her the rainbow.  
I thought I could stop the rain.  
Thinking about it, I could have,  
If things worked the way I wanted them to be.

But as we know,   
Not all things will go the way you wanted.  
It’s a painful reality.

The sound of rain surely makes someone sad.  
I didn’t intend to feel this way while reading my own journal.  
I even asked myself,  
Why did I even write something like this if I didn’t want to remember those memories?

Droplets of rain flowed down my windshield.  
Would my teardrops mirror those as well?  
They almost do.  
Gladly they didn’t.  
My focus changed when I saw Serin was starting to move.

We’re both inside my car.  
Serin was sitting beside me.  
I’m on the driver’s seat.

To be honest,   
I didn't really want to hurt her.  
At first, I never treated her as a threat to my plans.   
She’s just someone who hates me so much.  
Well, I can understand her.  
She trained all her life to be the next Superior.  
Then I came and snatched it from her.  
My bad, it was just bad timing.

Then, she started to get annoying.  
She started digging facts about me.   
And now, she discovered my secret.  
That’s something she shouldn’t have touched.  
If she didn’t know it,   
She must have been Superior after I got the cure.

She started opening her eyes.  
I then asked her.  
"Have you found the answers yet?"  
She immediately tried opening the door.  
Obviously, it was locked.

“Not too fast,  
The Superior wants to chat with you.”  
I told her.

She looked terrified.  
She was shaking.  
To tell you honestly,  
She’s pitiful.  
But I liked it when people cower with fear.  
Especially if it’s because of me.  
I smiled.

“Don’t you have something to tell me?  
I believe you borrowed something from me.”  
I asked her.  
I showed her my journal, Ydah’s journal, and Case 18’s folder, my folder.

“At least say thank you,  
I don’t usually share these things with people because they die after knowing it.  
As much as possible, I don’t really like killing people.  
I’m not yet thirsty.”

I can sense that tears will soon be peeping from her eyes.  
Where’s the fearless Serin who challenges me all the time?  
Where’s the bold Serin who wanted to kick me out of my position?  
Where’s the Serin who acted like a spy decoding everything I do?  
She’s nowhere to be found.

The Serin who’s in front of me is not different from the other people who discovered my secret.  
They all just cried and begged for their lives.  
I let them offer me favors to spare their lives,  
When it gets boring,  
I’m sure you all know what happens next.

“Now, tell me.  
What did you found out?”

"You're looking for a cure..."  
Finally, she spoke.  
There was a long silence.

"Go on."  
I could hear her heartbeat.  
Her heavy breaths.  
She’s beyond scared.  
I smiled at her again.  
A different kind of smile.  
A sinister smile.  
She started crying.

"You're looking for a cure...   
For yourself.  
You're case 18.”


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18  
Serin’s POV

"You're looking for a cure...   
For yourself.  
You're case 18.”  
After I said those words Josh clapped his hands.

“Finally, you’re right.”  
He smiled bigger,   
His pointed canines were peeking.  
I just realized that he doesn’t smile,  
That’s why I never saw those canines before.  
He didn’t even bother hiding them with false dentures.

“Because of your exceptional effort on finding my secret,   
I’ll give you a chance to run.  
If you wanted,   
You know for certain that I’m gonna catch you.  
And running is useless.  
I’ll give you just a drop of hope before you die.”  
He said, mocking me.

Yes, I’m afraid,  
Yes, I’m shaking.  
I was crying.  
I could die.  
But I’m tired of Josh belittling me.

At this point, my pride should have been the least if my concerns,  
But that pride helped me think of ways to escape this hellhole.  
Thinking about my pride made me forget the danger I’m in.  
I’m weird that way.

“You’ll give me a drop of hope,   
I will make you sure that you regret that drop of hope.”  
I wanted to tell that to Josh.  
But I didn’t.  
I wanted him to think that I’m still helpless.

I have already shown him what I can do.  
I have decoded something other people didn’t dare.  
And I’ll be the first one to escape him.  
Now, I’m searching my right pocket for useful things to aid my escape.  
I was hoping for a miraculous knife or scalpel to appear,  
All I found was a pen.  
And nope, it’s not Riptide.

Suddenly, he leaned towards me.  
He was trying to open the door,  
But my senses assumed that he'd attack me.  
I closed my eyes,   
My left hand landed on my neck to cover it.  
It was involuntary,  
It’s as if my body’s trying to protect itself from things he could do.

He noticed that.  
While still at that position,  
Only several inches from me,  
He laughed.  
From that angle,  
I could clearly see those sharp canines.  
I wondered if they could really kill me.

Finally, the door on my side was wide open.  
Droplets of rain splashed to my side.  
The things that are stopping me from running into the rain and escaping is my seatbelt and Josh.

To be honest,   
I don’t really know what to do after I escape this car.  
I don’t know this place,  
Plus it’s raining.  
I don’t even have a phone with me?  
What’s the plan?  
Just run?   
Maybe.  
Do I have a choice?  
No.  
I just wanted to escape.   
I don’t want to die like this.

Before sitting comfortably on the driver’s seat.  
He stopped and stared at me.  
From the corners of my eyes,   
I can see him getting closer and closer to my neck.  
He lifted his left hand and removed the hair covering the veins.  
I can feel his warm breathing.

Closer and closer,  
I reached for the seat belt button that’s keeping me from running away.  
I also reached for the fountain pen I found in my pocket.  
I uncapped it.  
I know it won't kill him but it would distract him.

If he really is a vampire,  
A stab from a pen will be nothing,  
It will surely heal instantly.  
But whatever, I don’t have many options.

As he was getting closer and closer,  
Just a couple of inches from my neck.  
I pulled my pen and stabbed him at the arm.  
I’m not sure if he was punctured by the pen,  
But the nib broke.

Before he could process what was happening,  
I pressed the seatbelt button.  
The metal edge hit Josh in the face.  
He immediately backed away,  
And was quite shocked.

I hopped outside the car,  
And into the heavy rain.  
I took a quick glance back at Josh.  
He has blood on the side of his lips.  
I touched my neck to make sure he didn’t injure me.  
I was relieved when I saw that there weren’t any scratches or wounds.

I looked back at him,  
He wiped the blood using his fingers.  
It must have been from the metal edge of the seatbelt.  
I can’t see clearly but the metal might have scratched his face.  
He looked annoyed and more deadlier than ever.

I should have run,  
But I didn’t.  
I watched him smile with his cold eyes,  
Then, he pulled a gun from the car’s compartment.

“Run!”   
He shouted.  
Then, I started running.  
He fired a couple of shots,  
One of those bullets grazed my left leg.

Yes, it hurt and I was already bleeding.  
But I can’t stop.  
Josh is after me.  
I’m bleeding but I can’t stop.  
I need to go far.  
I need to get away from Josh.  
I still want to live  
I need to escape him.  
So I just ran and ran.

But there are things you can’t run away from.  
You can’t run away from your destiny.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19  
Serin’s POV

I don’t know how long I was running.  
I don’t even know where I ended,  
But every time I look around me,  
Everything looks the same.  
I always end up on a dead-end.  
A dark alleyway.

I’m too tired,  
My leg hurts from the wound Josh’s bullet grazed.  
I leaned on the cold wall.  
I let fatigue take over me.  
Then, I sat down on the wet sidewalk.

I looked at my wounded leg,  
The wound’s quite deep.  
I might have lost a good amount of blood.  
I reached for my pocket hoping there’s something I could use to stop the bleeding.  
I started crying when I found out that there is a handkerchief in one of my pockets.  
That’s the luckiest thing that happened to me today.  
I took the handkerchief and tied it to my bleeding leg.

After tying the handkerchief,  
My tears felt like the heavy downpour of the rain.  
They just fall involuntary.  
I never imagined that I'd get in this kind of trouble.  
I just wanted to get what’s rightfully mine.  
I just wanted to be The Superior.  
I never wanted to know the dirty secrets of the Facility.  
I never wanted to know Josh’s secrets.  
I just wanted to have my position.

I know that this is the result of me meddling with people’s businesses,  
But do I really deserve to die like this?

“No! Cheer Up!”  
Said the faint voice inside my head.  
Trying to be optimistic.  
How could I even cheer up?  
I’m in the middle of a life and death situation.

However, I wiped the tears away from my face.  
It’s not yet too late.  
I still have a chance to escape.  
I’ve gone this far,  
There were no traces of Josh within the vicinity.  
I just have to think of people who escaped vampires.  
What did they do?

Immediately, Ydah popped on my head.  
But she was a different story.  
Josh was indeed a vampire,   
But Ydah is Josh’s special someone.

With that, I started to remember the first time Ydah met the new Josh.  
That particular entry was one of the things that struck me the most in Josh’s journal.  
Yes, that particular entry described how Josh became a vampire.  
But the thing is, Josh didn’t write that entry in his Journal.  
It was written by Ydah herself.

“To My Case 18 -PY”  
Was written on a white envelope tucked neatly on the back cover of Josh’s journal.  
When I opened it,   
There were several pieces of journal pages.  
The penmanship is different from Josh’s.  
Judging from the “PY” from the envelop,  
I assume they were Ydah’s.

“It was a sunny morning when I woke up.  
I brushed my teeth and washed my face.  
I made coffee and went to the porch.

When I arrived there,   
Something felt wrong.  
Josh was not there.  
He never misses his coffee.  
After that, I went to his room,  
He’s also not there.

Then I went to the garage to check the car.  
I was scared.  
‘I’ll do it for you’  
I remember him saying that to me.  
Did he really go out to catch vampires?  
Just to continue this project?  
When I arrived at the garage the car’s still there.  
It also looked like it wasn’t used.

I looked around the vicinity of the property,  
I event went to the waiting shed,  
And even in Case 16 and 17’s graves.  
There’s no Josh.

It was already noon when I decided to go down to the basement laboratory.  
As I go down the stairs,   
I started to get nervous.  
As I held the doorknob,   
My heart beat faster.  
That was weird.

I turned the doorknob but it was locked.  
That was even weirder.  
We never locked the lab even when Cases 16 and 17 were still there.  
They already have their own cells,  
Josh thought that locking the basement door felt like a security overkill.

With that, I went upstairs to fetch the keys.  
I unlocked the door.  
When I entered the underground lab,  
The lights were off except for the dim emergency light mounted on the wall adjacent to the cells.  
I tried turning on the lights but the light source seemed to malfunction.

As I walked inside,  
I became more and more anxious.  
If I knew where Josh was,   
I could have asked him to accompany me.   
But I don’t know where he is. 

I reached for the phone inside my pocket.  
I turned on the flashlight and used it to guide my way inside the lab.  
As I walk nearer the experiment stations,  
I started seeing broken vials and scattered syringes.  
I can also see droplets of red liquid scattered on the floor.

I picked up one of the broken vials.   
I tried reading what was on the vial’s label.  
I immediately dropped the broken vial after reading it.  
My body started to shake,  
My eyes started to water.  
My heart sank.

What did you do Josh?  
What did you do to yourself?  
‘Josh!’  
I started calling Josh’s name.  
But there was no response.

Then, from one of the cells,  
From the darkest corner,  
I heard a sound.  
A faint crash of metal against another metal.  
I ran towards the sound and found what I’m looking for.  
I found Josh.”


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20  
Serin’s POV

“Then, from one of the cells,  
From the darkest corner,  
I heard a sound.  
A faint crash of metal against another metal.  
I ran towards the sound and found what I’m looking for.  
I found Josh.”

Ydah’s account is exactly what I saw in my dream.  
Josh was behind bars.  
He was bathing with darkness.  
And we know for certain what happened to him.

“I dropped my phone and kneeled beside Josh.  
He was sitting on the dark corner of the cell.  
The dim light illuminated his features,  
He looked lifeless.

I reached for Josh’s hands to check his vitals.  
When I did that,   
I saw that there were puncture marks on his wrists.  
There were also several on the sides of his neck.  
I looked around him and saw several empty syringes.

My heart was torn to pieces.  
How could he do this?  
What if he doesn't survive?  
Why did he do this?  
What is he thinking?  
Why?

More tears fell from my eyes.  
I held Josh’s face.  
He was pale,  
He had bruises.  
He hardly breathes.

Now, it finally dawned on me what he was trying to do.  
When he said “I’ll do it for you”  
It wasn’t abducting a vampire then turning it to Case 18.  
He had other plans.  
His “I’ll do it for you” meant he would be Case 18.  
He volunteered himself so I can continue with the project.  
More tears trickled from my eyes.

Yes, turning people to vampires is possible,  
We already did it twice,  
But it must be administered correctly.  
If not, things could go wrong.  
We almost lost Case 16 in that process.  
Josh turned himself to a vampire by just injecting the venom using syringes,  
There were also empty bottles of painkillers beside him.

I looked at him.  
I sat closer and placed his head on my shoulders.

"What are we going to do now Josh?"  
I asked him, still crying  
I reached for his left hands and held it.  
His hands were cold.

I examined the puncture marks on his wrist.  
There were bruising and bloodstains,  
But overall, it's all healed.  
He must have injected the venom last night.  
While I was asleep.  
He's now clinically a vampire.

The human body approximately needs twelve hours before it adapts to the venom.  
After that twelve hours,  
If that person survives,   
You can then call them vampires.

As for Josh,   
He only used syringes,   
It would take longer.  
It's almost one in the afternoon.  
And yet, he's still not recovered,  
He still looked lifeless.  
And that worries me.  
If he didn't recover after twenty-four hours,  
It just means that his body didn't adapt to the venom.  
If that's the case.  
He'll surely die."

"But he didn't die..."  
I said as I ended thinking about Ydah's account.

"How about Serin,   
Would she die?"  
Josh asked while pointing a gun in my head.  
I tried standing but my legs hurt.

"If you tried running again,   
I'll have him shoot you.  
He's a hunter.  
He has better aim than I do."  
He was pointing to a man wearing a black hoodie.  
He was different from the man who helped Josh catch me in the office.

I tried moving but Josh fired a bullet past me.

"Serin, listen to me.  
Please just die quietly."  
If you tried escaping again,  
The next bullet will be on your head."

That is the time I realized that I really don't have any options at all.  
I still wanted to run.  
I still wanted to fight.  
But my legs no longer have any strength left.  
I could only cry.

I heard the gun clicked as Josh loaded it.  
I guess, this is really where it ends.  
This is the part where I just need to close my eyes and accept what’s about to happen.  
So I did that,  
I closed my eyes and told him,

"If this is what you want,  
Fire at will."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21  
Josh’s POV

“Immortality is eternal life, being exempt from death; unending existence.  
The absence of aging would provide humans with biological immortality,   
but not invulnerability to death by disease or physical trauma”  
Source: The Internet  
Immortality.  
Living long enough to see people suffer while you couldn’t do something to stop it.  
Living long enough to see people whom you care about forget you.  
And after that, seeing them fade right before your eyes. 

The thought of immortality had always scared me.  
I’m scared to see people I love die one by one until I was the only one left behind.  
It was painful.  
Trust me.  
I’ve been there.  
I’d rather be in pain and die before them.  
I just can’t deal with loss anymore.

There’s nothing pleasant about immortality.  
It’s a torment I never wanted to experience.  
It’s a curse I would never want to get.

However, as much it terrified me,  
I willingly welcomed it with arms wide open.  
I became something I never wanted to be.  
You may ask, Why?  
You may say,  
That’s too melodramatic.  
That’s too unreal.  
Or you may say,   
That’s total stupidity.

Well, I could imagine her saying those things to me once she found out what I did.  
She would never want me to sacrifice myself for her.  
Who would want that?  
On the top of that,  
She detest vampires.  
Her parents died because of them.  
Then her brother was turned to one.  
And now, I’ve become one.

I wouldn’t volunteer myself if I doubted her capabilities of finding the cure.  
I wouldn’t do it if I didn't trust her.  
I believe in her.

***

I woke up with the sound of sobbing.  
The first thing I saw was a pair of hands holding my left hand.  
It was Ydah’s

My head leaned on her shoulders.  
She was shaking.  
I tried moving but my body ached.  
Especially on the sides of my neck and my wrists.

Ydah noticed that I was already awake and kneeled in front of me.  
Her eyes were swollen.  
She held my face and looked at me,  
Trying to figure out if I’m okay.

“Hey, stop crying, I’m okay.”  
I told her.  
I tried to wipe her tears but she refused.  
Her tears just continued on falling.

My tears also started to fall somehow.  
And I don’t know why.  
Ydah must have been worried sick.  
I can clearly see it in her eyes.

Then, she hugged me.  
Tightly.  
I also hugged her back.

“Why did you sleep so long?  
I was worried that you won’t wake up anymore.”  
She said.

“Don’t worry,  
I’m okay now.  
We could continue with the research.”  
I said.  
With that she let go of the embrace.

When I saw her face again,  
Her expression was different.  
She didn’t even look back at me.  
Now, I felt tension.

“Why did you do that?”  
She asked me.   
She was still crying but I could sense anger in her voice.  
She felt betrayed.

“Because,  
I trust you.  
And I’d do anything to make you happy.”  
I answered.

“But there are limitations.  
You know how hard it is for me to see my brother suffering with that thing.  
With being a vampire,  
With being a monster.  
And now,   
You became one.”

I was silent.

“What if I can’t save you?  
What if I can’t turn you back?  
What if I kill you in the process?  
You’re the most important person that’s left in my life.  
And now, you became someone I don’t want you to be.”

Silence was the only thing I could answer her.

“Josh.   
I’m afraid.  
I’m afraid for you.”

I’m afraid “for” you.  
She’s still thinking of me…

“But I believe in you.  
You can turn me back to a human.  
I never doubted you.  
I trust you.  
I sacrificed myself because I know you can do it.”  
I answered.

“Can trust make you alive?  
Can believing in me make you alive?  
No!”

Silence.

“You did it for me?  
Before doing that,   
Did you think about me?  
Did you think I’d be happy to see that my bestfriend is now a monster?  
Did you also think I’d be happy to see you in a grave once I killed you with one of my experiments?  
No.  
You’re just being stupid.  
You’re not helping me.  
You’re just tormenting me more.”

Of all the things she said.   
Only one thing struck me.

“Best friend?  
Do you think a best friend would do this?  
I’m in love with you Ydah?  
This is my way of showing you how much I love you.  
I’m willing to sacrifice everything for you.  
I just wanted to stop your misery.  
I just wanted to see you smile again.”

For most of the time we’ve been together,   
I’m okay with being just her best friend.  
Now, it’s different.  
I don’t know if being a vampire makes you bolder,  
But now, I wanted her to see me as a man who’s willing to give my all just to make her happy.

“If love means sacrifice,   
I don’t want that kind of love,  
You should have thought that seeing you suffer is more painful.  
Me, crying every night because I can’t find a way to save you is more heartbreaking.  
Shedding tears because I could no longer touch you the way I used to.  
Being sad because I’ll miss you fixing my wounds if I bleed.  
Those will be more painful.  
Have you thought of that?”

Now that I’m a vampire,  
I could feel pain in the experiments,  
She would stay up every night looking for a cure,  
Not only for her brother but for me as well.  
That will be more sleepless nights.  
I was her nurse,  
I fix wounds.  
Now I couldn’t do that anymore. 

“You should have asked me first.  
Yes, I was sad because I can’t find a way to help my brother.  
I’m angry at myself for failing to save two lives.  
They also believed in me,  
But both of them are now buried six feet under.

I was frustrated that I can’t be the scientist I was.  
Several times I almost broke down.  
But I remained strong because you were with me all these time.  
You helped me get through.

Yes, it was sad that I can’t be with my brother.  
But I’m already starting to cope up.  
I’m now trying to accept that maybe my brother was better that way.  
As far as we know, he hasn’t killed anyone yet.  
I was ready to move on.  
Then, this happened.”

She was crying.  
She then stood up and turned her back against me. 

“You just made me suffer again.”  
She told me.

“I’m sorry…”  
Those were the only words I could say.

Then, I heard droplets falling on the concrete floor.  
I started to smell a sweet fragrance.  
I started to feel giddy.  
Everything started to get blurry,  
I could only sense the tempting fragrance I smell.

I wanted to get it.  
It felt like it would taste good.  
I need to taste it.  
I need to drink it.  
I need blood.

Who’s the person standing in front of me right now?  
I don’t recognize her face.  
She felt familiar,  
But I don’t really care.  
I just wanted to taste her blood.

“Give me some,  
Please.”  
I hissed as I stood up. 

She was in shock.  
She was shaking.  
She’s terrified.  
And I love it.

She started taking steps back.  
She was holding her bleeding hands.  
Fresh blood was flowing from that pretty wound.  
There were also traces of blood from the metal door that wounded her.

I tried walking near her but something stopped me.  
I looked at my right hand,  
It was hand-cuffed on one of the iron bars of the cell.

“Nice trick human!”  
I told her.  
But the handcuffs wouldn’t stop me.  
I don’t care if my hand bleeds.  
I just want her blood.

She continued stepping backwards further and further away from me.  
So I just continued reaching for her.  
I screeched and shouted.  
I clawed but I still couldn't reach her.  
That went on for a long time.

Meanwhile, she’s just there,  
Crying and tempting me with her blood.  
Then all of a sudden,   
I heard a beeping sound.  
I blacked out.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 22  
Josh’s POV

When I woke up,   
A gun was pointed at my head.  
It was Ydah.  
Her eyes were red.  
They were still swollen.  
Swollen from crying.

Her hands were shaking.  
Then I noticed that her right hand was bandaged.  
Then I remembered what happened.  
She accidentally injured herself on the metal doors of the cell.  
After several drops of blood,   
I became rabid.  
I became a monster.

I tried to reach for her but both of my hands are on handcuffs now.  
I looked at my right hand.  
I remembered locking myself and handcuffing my right hand before injecting the venom.  
Safety precautions.

That handcuff was indeed helpful.  
Because of that, Ydah’s safe.  
Scared but still safe.  
If not of that handcuff,  
Ydah might have been bathing on her own blood right now.

Now, my right wrist has been bandaged.  
It might have been bruised and wounded from the accident earlier.  
But I think it might have been healed by know,  
The bandages were not needed,  
But Ydah still placed them.  
She was afraid, but she still tended my wounds.

I looked at my left hand,  
They were also handcuffed to the same iron bar my other hand was handcuffed to.  
Ydah, did it.  
She also did it for her safety.  
She might have been too afraid to tend to my wounds while I was out.  
But she didn’t have to do it,  
I’m already a vampire.  
I heal fast.  
But she did it anyway.  
She still thought of me even though I failed her.

“Don’t even think of hurting me.  
I’ll pull the trigger if I have to.”  
She told me.  
Her voice was still shaking.  
Tears are again starting to form in the corners of her eyes.

I guess,  
It’s better if she does it now.  
I can hurt her anytime.  
Me leaving her right now,   
I think it would be better.  
Knowing how I could lose myself with just several drops of blood,  
Ending while I’m sane would be better.

She was right.  
I should have asked her first.  
I shouldn’t have turned myself to a vampire.  
I shouldn’t have hurt her.  
I shouldn’t have been selfish.

Ending it now would be much safer for her.  
She could act as if everything didn’t exist.  
She could just forget about me and move on with her life.

I then kneeled.  
She flinched.  
I closed my eyes.  
Then, I spoke.

“If this is what you want,   
Then fire at will.”


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 23  
Josh’s POV

There were no gunshots.  
All I heard were muffled sobs.

When I opened my eyes the gun was on the floor.   
I then noticed that it’s an unloaded gun.  
Then I looked at Ydah.  
She was just there,  
In front of me.  
She was sitting,  
Hugging her knees.

“Why do you have to make me cry so much in one day.”  
She said.  
Her sobs continued.  
I just wanted to reach her and comfort her.

Then, everything faded because of a camera flash.  
I was back to reality.

“Shit!”  
Said a female voice from where the flash came from.  
I immediately turned in that direction and fired several bullets.  
I looked back at Serin and saw her limping trying to escape.  
Again.  
I then aimed towards her direction and fired a bullet.  
Surprise, surprise, I ran out of bullets already.  
Luckily for her, I didn’t bring extra ones.

“I guess, I’ll just end her the old way.”  
I told myself.

“Go after the intruder.  
I’ll take care of Serin.”  
I told the hunter.  
Most of the time,   
He’s the one who ends the misery of my “friends”.  
But now, I’ll personally deal with Serin.  
This girl is special.

“I’m already tired,  
I’ll end this game myself.”


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24  
Josh’s POV

Even the best fall down sometimes…  
Sometimes, things feel like they’re starting to make sense.  
Sometimes you feel that everything’s being perfect.  
Everything seems happy.  
But don’t be fooled, things are about to turn full circle.

“I know you’re still there.  
I’m a vampire,  
I have heightened senses.  
I can smell you.”  
And I can hear that she’s crying.

It’s been four days since I became a vampire.  
I’m no longer handcuffed inside the cell.  
But I’m still locked in the basement.  
Ydah wanted me to sleep upstairs so I could sleep properly,  
I refused.

I don’t want to risk it.  
She’s clumsy, I know that she’ll accidentally injure herself.  
And I’m not risking her life for a goodnight’s sleep.

The past few days were not really bad.  
Nothing much has changed.  
I still eat and sleep just like what I used to.  
The only changes I noticed were the fast healing of my cuts and bruises.  
Also some of my senses, hearing and smelling, improved.

“I’m really worried about you.”  
Ydah said.  
She was on the other side of the door.

“Why would you worry about me?  
I heal fast”  
I answered back.

“Yeah you heal fast,  
But what are you gonna do with your diet?  
You still need to drink blood.”

“I’m not even craving blood,  
Why would I worry?  
I don’t even like to consume blood.”

Sincerely,  
As much as possible,   
I didn’t really want ro drink blood.  
If I have a choice.

“You can’t fool me,   
It’s not as if you don’t want blood.  
You’re afraid of blood.”  
Then she laughed.

“I won’t consume blood.  
If I have to overdose myself with the medicine you made for me,  
I’ll do it.”  
Well I’m not really afraid of the blood per se.  
The smell of blood makes me feel dizzy and nauseous.  
Most people can’t smell blood.  
But I do.  
Some said it’s just psychological.  
Maybe?

When I arrived at the facility,  
I didn’t know I’d be dealing with tons and tons of blood.  
I thought I’d be just developing some sort of medicine for people suffering vampirism,  
Without the blood.  
Of course that’s impossible.

That’s the first time I saw Ydah in action.  
She developed this medicine that temporarily numbs my sense of smell and taste.  
That helped me in dealing with everything blood related to the facility.  
I can see blood but I can’t smell it.   
As long as I have the medicine Ydah made,  
I’m good.  
Except I can’t really smell or taste anything at all.  
But when the medicine wears of,  
My sense of taste and smell goes back,  
And my issues with blood return.

That medication helped me survive my second time in the facility.  
Being a vampire,   
It’s a challenge to suppress your inner animal everytime you see blood.  
Inside the facility,   
Blood’s everywhere.

Vampires sense blood because of the smell it taints the air.  
But if the vampire’s sense of smell is blocked,  
A vampire wouldn’t even freak out even if you show it a gallon of fresh blood.  
Yes they may drink it but it would be less savory.  
Imagine drinking your favorite juice or wine,  
But you couldn’t taste or smell it.  
It would be less interesting.

“If you overdose yourself,  
You could lose your sense of smell and taste.”  
Ydah said.

And that’s what exactly happened to me.  
For years of taking the medication,  
My senses now failed me.  
Yes I’m a vampire but I can no longer smell nor taste blood.

“Why would I even worry about that,  
You’d turn me back to human soon.”  
I remember telling her.  
She didn’t reply.  
All I heard was a deep sigh.

“You know what,  
This feels like a movie,  
Us talking with a door between,  
It’s silly.  
But I like it.”  
Ydah said.

“Me too,  
I like it.”

There was silence.   
She’s no longer crying but I can still feel the sadness on her voice,

“You know what would make this seem more like a movie?”  
I asked her.

“What?”  
She asked.

“Me asking you out...”  
I said.

“...On a date?”  
She finished my sentence.  
I heard her laugh a little.

“Hmmm… Yes, after this.”  
I told her.  
To be honest,   
I’m quite nervous.

“Okay.”  
She responded.  
Then there was an awkward silence.

“You know, you should have asked me sooner.  
She told me.

“But I thought you didn’t like going out on dates.”  
I told her.

“You thought,  
But did you ask me?  
I would have loved going out on a date with you.”

“But I thought you didn’t like me that way.”  
Now, I’m getting more and more confused.

“Again, ‘you thought’,  
That’s the problem with you.  
You never ask.  
All you have to do is ask.

You know,   
There was a time,   
When I was deeply infatuated with you.  
Remember when you hugged me in the rain?  
I thought you looked exceptionally handsome that time.”  
I could imagine her smiling with the tone of her voice.

“Then I started shouting “No!” and ran to the cameras.  
That was me saying “No!” to myself because we are friends.  
I shouldn’t feel those things because I’m not yet ready.  
When you told me you liked me,  
I wanted to try it out but I can’t say yes because I still have other things to do.  
I’m still not prepared for that kind of relationship.  
So I tried to suppress my feelings.  
I try to shrug it off.

Then, Project K happened.  
I can’t focus on my feelings with you because of my brother.  
Honestly, I’ve been thinking about you lately.  
Since you were there all these time,   
I’ve been asking myself,  
Should I just give it a try?”  
So all this time,   
She was just suppressing her feelings for me?

“Then I though,   
Why not?  
Let’s give it a try…”

“After this…”  
We said it together.  
She laughed,  
I laughed.

“You better recover fast once I gave you the antidotes.”  
She said.

“You should make those antidotes quickly”  
I answered back.

“Don’t worry,   
I’ll find the cure for you.  
I won’t stop until I find it.  
I promise.”

But as we all know,   
A sad scene always comes after a happy scene.  
That night,   
I slept with a smile on my face.  
Knowing how Ydah felt made my burden a hundred times lighter.  
I was excited to see the rainbow after this long rain.  
But the rainbow never came.

As I was sleeping happily,  
Ydah received an order from the Facility Director.  
That order didn’t let her sleep for the rest of the night.

“He’s gone.  
Comeback to the Facility this instant.  
Abandon the project.  
Destroy all evidence.  
If there were living vampires,  
Just kill them.”


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 25  
Serin’s POV

This wouldn’t have happened if Ydah pulled the trigger while Josh was asleep.  
He shouldn’t have returned.  
He shouldn’t have terrorised The Facility.

I’m still running.  
I don’t know where to go but I just continued running.  
I must not stop.  
If I do, Josh will catch me.

If Ydah followed the Director’s Orders.   
Everything would be much better.   
Everyone would have been safe.  
She was so selfish.

Once again, I recalled a part of Ydah’s letter to Josh.

“He’s gone.  
Comeback to the Facility this instant.  
Abandon the project.  
Destroy all evidence.  
If there were living vampires,  
Just kill them.”

These words kept on repeating as the night grew colder.  
I’m now at the basement lab watching Josh sleep soundly.  
His left hand was handcuffed to the bed he’s lying on.  
“Security Precautions”  
Like he always says.

I placed my left hand in my pocket,  
The keys were inside.  
For the past four days,   
He always sleeps that way.  
Every morning he waits for me so I could give him the keys to uncuff himself.

We tried living normally,  
But everytime I go near sharp edges or use something that could injure me,  
He always distances himself   
And handcuffs himself on the iron bars.  
I hated that.

When he was human,  
He does the opposite thing.  
And I miss it so much.  
He knows how clumsy I am.  
Whenever he sees that I’m using a blade,   
He always comes near me.  
He starts to get ready for the usual scenario,  
Me bleeding.  
He always had random band aids on his lab pockets.  
They come in different colours and sizes.

To be honest,   
He could still do that.  
We develop a stronger dose of the medicine I made for him.  
We have already tried it yesterday.  
It indeed suppressed his thirst for blood.  
But he didn’t want to risk it.  
He was afraid that he'd still lose control and hurt me.

My tears started falling.  
How could I do something bad to a person who only thinks about my safety?

“He’s gone.  
Comeback to the Facility this instant.  
Abandon the project.  
Destroy all evidence.  
If there were living vampires,  
Just kill them.”

My brother’s gone.  
The vampires “rescued” him from my uncle.  
The people who were assigned to look over him were all killed.  
The vampires didn’t know that we’re creating an anti-venom to reverse my brother’s vampirism.  
But if they do, there will be a bigger commotion.

Vampires might start attacking the facility.  
Also, my uncle will be in big trouble.  
If people find out that he permitted this kind of research,  
He’ll not only lose his job.  
He’ll also be thrown to jail.

I too, could also face that kind of consequences.  
I must destroy all evidence.  
And kill the experiment vampires for they could be witnesses.  
Project K must be erased from history.  
It must be wiped out as if it didn’t even exist.

The cold gun on my right hand felt heavier.  
I have to kill Josh.  
Vampires couldn’t die.  
They heal fast.  
But they couldn’t do that if you destroyed their vital organs.  
I could easily end Josh’s life by firing the gun on his head or to his heart.

With that, I lifted my right hand.  
Josh’s right hand was placed over his stomach,  
But his chest was clear.  
His heart was clear.  
I pointed the gun at his chest.  
I aimed for his heart.  
The heart has less protection compared to the brain.  
It would be less painful.  
It would be quicker as well.

This gun is now loaded.  
Once I pulled the trigger,  
It will be Josh’s end.  
I know that Josh wouldn’t forgive me,  
But I promise to do it fast.  
That’s the only thing I could do for him right now.

Then, Josh moved.  
He removed his hand from his stomach.  
As if he’s welcoming the bullet that’s about to pierce his heart.  
He was still sleeping,  
But he smiled.  
I wondered what he was seeing in his dream.  
Could it be our first date?  
A date that wouldn’t happen after this.

Seconds later,  
Small droplets of tears fell down from his closed eyes.

That was the time I discovered that he was awake all along.  
He was just pretending to be asleep so I could do what I needed to do.  
With that, my heart grew heavier and heavier.  
It was as if a bullet pierced it.

I fell on my knees.  
I unloaded the gun and kicked it away.  
I again started to break down beside Josh’s bed.  
I hugged my knees and sobbed uncontrollably.

Right then, I felt a warm embrace coming in front of me.  
When I looked up,   
It was Josh.  
He was smiling.

He didn’t say anything,  
But the way he looked at me made me cry even more.  
He just continued hugging me.  
How on Earth could I hurt someone who cares that way for me?  
How could I hurt him?  
He couldn’t even hurt the person who tried to kill him twice already.  
He doesn’t deserve to die.”

Time changed Josh.  
He’s just a heartless killing machine.   
He kills once you discover his secret.  
He kills for entertainment.  
He doesn’t value life.  
He doesn’t…


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 26  
Serin’s POV

While trying to catch my breath,  
I felt a strong force pull me.  
The next thing I knew was I’m pinned on the wall.  
Josh was holding my shoulders tightly.

His eyes were beautiful.  
But they were fiery with anger.  
He looked deeper and deeper into my eyes. 

I have escaped him twice already.  
I can do it again.  
I’ll do it over and over if it’s the only way I can live.  
I prepared myself to fight if I had to,  
Then something unexpected happened.

He smiled.  
His grasp on my shoulders loosened.  
Instantly, the mood started to lighten.  
I wrinkled my head in confusion.  
I don’t quite understand what just happened.  
He then spoke with a calm tone.

“Aren’t you tired of running?”  
He asked with a soothing voice.  
Unknowingly, I nodded.

He then let me break free from his grasps.  
He even helped me stand up properly.  
So that we’re standing on the same level.  
I’m getting more and more confused.

He then combed the face away from my face.  
He also fixed the disheveled hair on my shoulders.  
Shouldn’t he be chasing me?  
He then spoke with the same soothing tone.

“Serin,  
You’re one of the smartests humans I’ve met.  
That’s a compliment.  
You’re also one of the most hardworking.  
But you also have your flaws,  
You’re too curious.  
But, some questions are better left unanswered.  
Remember that.”

For some reason,   
I started crying with Josh’s words.  
His sincere smile was the cherry on top.  
Is this the cold Superior I hated?  
Why does his words suddenly make me soft inside?

Was this the effect of fatigue and blood loss?  
I’m starting to hear things that I shouldn’t be hearing.  
But the way he says those words makes me want to rest.

“It was an honor meeting you.”

He smiled bigger,  
His fangs peeking.  
Then, I felt him pin me on the wall for the second time.  
But this time,  
I didn’t even fight back.  
I just stared at him and waited for his next move.

Moments after that,   
His fangs were now burying their way on my skin.

Everything started to spin,  
I then started to hear voices,  
Tin’s voice, my mentor’s voices, my family’s voices.  
I also started seeing their faces.  
Some memories started to flash. 

Then, I understood what was happening.  
This is how I disappear.

More memories flashed,   
Darkness started to swallow them one by one.  
Until everything was gone.  
I too was gone.

Serin’s now at rest,  
Forever.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 27  
Josh’s POV

We’re now sitting on the lone waiting shed a kilometer away from the house,  
The rain was bathing the company car in front of the shed.  
Now, Ydah’s giving her goodbyes.

Ydah was ordered to go back to the facility.  
She was also ordered to dispose every evidence,  
Including me.  
Of course, she hesitated.

Right from the moment she opened the door at the basement lab,   
I was already awake.  
I was willing to accept the bullet if she had to fire it.  
I even opened my chest so she could do it properly.  
She almost did it.  
But she failed,   
Because of that one tear that I desperately tried to hide.

After that she calmed down,   
I escorted her back to her room upstairs.  
Ydah insisted that I sleep in my room.  
I was obliged.  
But sleep didn’t visit me for the rest of the night.

This morning,  
I helped her burn all of the evidence of Project K.  
We burned everything except for some files that will help us in finding the cure.

“Project K might have stopped,  
But I promise to find the cure.  
For my brother and for you.”  
She promised me while trying to smile.

After we finished erasing the traces of Project K,  
We started packing our things,  
I helped Ydah load her things to the company car.  
She’ll return to the city,  
While I try to go to a different place.  
I’ll be following the information she gave me to track her brother.

“Would you be okay?”  
She asked me.

“Of course,   
I’m already a vampire,  
I heal fast.”  
I tried to sound enthusiastic.

She tried giving me a small laugh.  
“Don’t joke around,  
From now on you’ll be alone.”

“Why would I be alone?  
I always have you in my heart.”

“Stop being cheesy.”  
She smiled,   
Then she started crying again.

I scooted beside her.  
I wiped the tears on her cheeks.  
She didn’t refuse.

“Don’t worry about me.  
Once I found your brother,  
I’ll come back to you.  
Then we’ll have our first date.”

I answered with a smile.

“I told you,  
You should have asked me out sooner.  
Anyway, come back quickly.”

“Will you wait for me then?”  
I asked Ydah.

“I couldn’t promise that,  
But I’ll do my best.”  
She said.

“That’s enough for me,  
At least it’s a not a ‘No’”  
I told her, she just smiled.

There was silence.   
The sound of raindrops hitting the shed roof was the only sound you’d hear.

Ydah stood up.  
She opened her red umbrella and stepped outside the shed.  
I was left inside.  
She faced me.  
A veil of raindrops separating us.

“You looked good as a vampire.  
You should try a different style now.  
The fangs suit you.  
Goodbye for now.”

She waved.

“Bye.”  
I waved back.

She went inside the company car.  
The engine started,  
And she drove away.

I couldn’t help myself,   
So I ran to the pouring rain and tried following the car.  
I stopped when I could no longer see the car.  
I fell down on my knees and started crying my heart out.

Not long ago,  
I teased Ydah about her crying under the falling rain.  
“That was too dramatic…”  
I always tell her.  
Little did I know,  
I’d also be doing the same thing.

But what’s different from her,   
The rain didn’t help in calming me.  
My tears just continued to fall.  
My heart still grew heavier.

Not to long, I heard something coming.  
I looked in front of me.   
My heart stopped.  
It was the company car.  
The car stopped one meter in front of me,  
When the door opened,  
A red umbrella popped out from the driver’s side.  
A familiar pair of white sneakers appeared.  
She came back.  
Ydah came back.

Ydah walked closer and closer to me.  
I could hear the splashing of water as she walked on the water drenched road.  
Everything around her started to blur.  
I could only see her.  
Her simple white shirt,  
Her ankle length jeans.  
Her muddy sneakers.  
Her large red umbrella.  
Her hair was tied back on a simple bun.  
She’s pure perfection.  
Then she stopped right in front of me.

All of a sudden,   
The rain stopped from falling.  
Figuratively and literally.

“Doesn’t this look familiar?  
But something seems wrong.  
The male lead must be the one holding the umbrella,  
Not the female lead.”

I smiled but there were still tears on my eyes.  
She was talking about male leads holding umbrellas for the female lead.  
When the female lead cries under the rain as the rain falls,  
Male leads always come to the rescue carrying an umbrella.  
They do it to protect the female lead from getting drenched.

“Will you please stand up already?  
I’m starting to get wet.”

So I stood up.  
She positioned the umbrella so the two of us won’t be wet from the pouring rain.

“You’re a vampire,  
You heal fast,  
But vampires still get sick.”

I just waited for her to finish what she’s saying,  
Then I hugged her.  
She didn’t flinched.  
I let go of the embrace and saw her smiling.

“Now I’m wet.  
What’s even the point of having an umbrella?”  
She said as she tossed the umbrella away.  
I laughed.  
She laughed.

“I guess,   
Let’s just enjoy the rain?”  
She said. 

“I will indeed enjoy the rain.”  
With that,   
I pulled her closer to me.  
Then I did something she didn’t expect.  
Something I always wanted to do.  
If I don’t do it know,  
I may never have the chance again.

I kissed her.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 28  
Josh’s POV

Ydah returned to shield me from the rain that day.  
She rescued me from the misery I had.  
But now,   
No one will shield me in the rainfall of tears from the people who loved Serin.  
No one will rescue me from my conscience because of the sin of taking someone’s life.  
Again.

“I’m sorry.  
I don’t really wanted to do this,  
But I can’t let you stop me from fulfilling my promise.  
Once people knew about me and my plans,   
I won’t be able to find the cure.  
Again, I’m sorry.”

I apologized to Serin as I lifted her lifeless body.  
Then, I carried her back to my car.  
I placed her body to the passenger’s seat.  
I didn’t closed the door,  
I then went to the driver’s seat.

I looked at the documents placed on the compartment.  
Those were her final gifts for me.  
Her parting gifts.

This was the reason I started hating the rain again.  
Who would have thought that I’d say goodbye to Ydah twice.  
It was at the same place.  
And it was raining as well.

I was sitting at the other end of the bench,  
Clutching my handcuffs,   
“For safety purposes”.

“This is the best I could do to help you.  
The following days will become harder,   
Everything will be different.  
I would become a different person.”

She said as she placed the red journal on the space between us.   
Ydah already prepared everything I needed if I wanted to return to the facility.  
After Project K, she continued to work at the facility as if nothing happened.  
However, she worked in a different department.  
The Records Department.

She’s the reason why my identity was unknown.  
She hid every record my name and face was on.  
She’s also the reason why Case 18’s folder went missing.  
She kept it and now she’s giving them back to me.

I reached for the documents and looked at them.  
There was also a folder containing a letter of recommendation from his uncle,  
The past Director.  
She mentioned that his uncle never knew I was alive,  
Not until he read the letter I sent Ydah.

Ydah then told her everything that happened,  
And that I sacrificed myself to be part of the research.  
Ydah also convinced his uncle that I deserve to come back to the facility to find a cure for myself.  
His uncle knew me as one of Ydah’s closest friends.  
Luckily, he agreed.

“If we see each other again,  
It would surely be unfortunate.   
By then, I won’t be at your side anymore.”

Ydah, she’s saying “Goodbye” instead of “Hi”.  
She mentioned that this would be the last time she’ll help me.  
This could also be the last time we’ll meet.  
And it was.

“I was afraid that it would end like this.  
And it did.  
Let’s face it,  
There’s no cure.  
I’m sorry”

While I was out looking for his brother,   
Ydah devoted herself in finding the cure.  
She had experienced many many things while trying to find the cure.  
In one of those times,   
Ydah almost died.  
She was attacked by vampires.  
Luckily, someone saved her.

The man saved Ydah from the vampires who discovered her new research.  
I was also one of those vampires he saved Ydah from.  
Then, I looked at Ydah’s left hand.  
There was a small silver band around her ring finger.

I then looked at the parked car across the street.  
A man was sitting on the car’s driver’s seat.  
He was Ydah’s fiancé,  
Three days from today,   
He’ll be Ydah’s husband.

He’s also working on the Facility.  
Ydah said he wanted her to stop meddling with vampires.  
Ydah agreed.  
She promised that today would be the last time.  
Last time…

“I told you,   
You should have asked me out on a date earlier.”  
She jokingly said,  
But her voice was full of sadness.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?”  
I asked her.

“I waited for you Josh.  
I waited for ten years.  
To a vampire,   
Ten years is just a blink of an eye,  
But to humans,  
It’s too long.  
Many things could happen.”  
She said.

“Look at you,   
You didn’t age a day.   
You look exactly the same.  
You even looked better now.

Look at me,   
I’m already 36.  
If I don’t settle now,   
It will be hard for me to start my own family.”

She continued.  
Her voice was calm.  
I just looked at her.

“I was too late…”  
I said.  
She nodded.

“If you just came back a little bit sooner,  
Things might have turned out differently.”  
Ydah’s happy I can see it.  
She was glowing,   
She indeed loved the man inside the car.

“Josh, you should find someone who’ll take care of you.  
You can stop looking for my brother.   
Focus on developing a cure for yourself.”  
She said.  
She’s now sitting near me.  
She held my hands.

I can’t.  
And I won’t.  
I won’t look for someone that will replace Ydah in my heart.  
There’s no one like her.  
I’d rather walk this world alone than replace her.

Yes, I could stop looking for Ydah’s brother.  
Because I already found him.   
I have already found where he is staying.  
I only need to talk to him right now so that we can start the new project.  
That’s also the reason why I asked Ydah to meet me.  
But I failed to tell her that.

“Josh, I always thought of you,  
You’re of the best things that happened to me.  
You were a blessing to my tragic life.  
Maybe in another life, if there is.  
Once you found me,  
Ask me out immediately.”  
She then pulled me close and hugged me.

“If you ever find my brother,  
This is for him.  
Tell him how much I love him.  
Hug him for me.”

She then stood up.  
Placed one hand on my shoulder.  
She then placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.  
“I love you Josh.  
Thank you for everything.  
I’m sorry if I have to leave you again.  
Live long and well.  
Goodbye.”

I don’t have the courage to look at her leave.  
I just bowed my head and let her go without looking.  
I heard the car leave.  
Then, I heard the rain pour.

It was just like the last time we said goodbye.  
But this time,   
She didn’t come back.

It took me another ten years before I tried entering the facility.  
Luckily, with the past Director and Ydah’s referrals I passed.  
I trained and worked there for four years.   
Finally, on my fifth year,   
I became the Superior.

In those ten years,   
I never got the chance to meet Ydah,  
She was assigned to a different location, The Asylum.  
When it was time for me to be assigned to the place where she is,  
She left.

It seemed that Ydah planned everything so our paths won’t cross.  
At first, I felt Ydah really forgot about me.  
But no, in few occasions whenever people almost figure out my identity,  
She worked at the backstage,  
Cleaning up and wiping out every evidence that resurfaced.  
At times, I get anonymous letters informing me about advances in anti-venom research.  
Some letters also included names of people I need to be careful of.

Everything stopped when she left the company to stay overseas.  
After that, I’m already on my own.  
It was really the ending of our connection.  
No anonymous letters,   
No warnings whom to avoid.  
Nothing,   
Just wishes…  
And memories.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 29  
Josh’s POV

“Hello. Yes?”  
I answered the phone.

“We already found tracks of the vampire.  
He might be just around the vicinity of the area.  
I’m confident that we’ll catch him before tomorrow ends.”

The head of the security team I ordered to track the vampire who killed Pau called.  
That vampire, if he’s indeed turning back to humans,   
Is the key to that.

“Also, regarding the other vampire you’re asking us to monitor,  
My sources said he sneaked inside the facility last night.  
One of the CCTV’s caught him speaking with project lead Serin.”

I dropped the call.  
“Speaking with Serin”  
So, a different vampire did his assignment.  
He didn’t go to the place where I said to catch Serin.  
Someone did it for him.

Someone’s already starting to rebel.  
He’s now starting to disobey my orders.   
He’s starting to get stubborn.  
He’s now starting to act just like his sister.

For a some time now,   
Ydah’s brother has been working for me.  
He agreed to be part of my new project.  
He agreed to be the main test subject once I found the cure.  
He must agree.  
He had to.  
It’s his sister’s wish.

“She’s got a car,  
But I got the plate number.  
I also saw her face.”

He emerged from the shadows.   
At times,  
I really felt that he no longer wanted to continue what we’re doing.  
But we have to do it.  
I need to make him human,  
His sister wanted it.

“Are you sure you didn’t purposely let her escape?”  
I asked him.

“Do we still need to continue this?  
I mean, I think I’m already okay this way.  
You could just give me more of the medicine.  
So I wouldn’t crave blood anymore…”

I didn’t let him finish.

“You’re in no position to tell when to stop.  
Your sister specifically told me that she wanted you to become human.  
And I won’t stop until I make it.”

He just remained silent.

“Now,   
Find that girl.  
Make sure she doesn’t spill things.  
Keep her quiet.”

With that, he nodded and went back to the darkness.

I looked back at Ydah’s journal that’s now in my bloody hands.  
The silver ‘95 on the cover glistened with the faint shine of the lights outside.  
For 25 years now,  
I’ve been devoting myself to finding the cure that would reverse vampirism.  
Now, light has appeared on the long tunnel I’ve been walking on.

Once I finished concocting that antidote,  
I’ll make sure Ydah sees it.  
I’ll make sure that she sees her brother.  
So they could still be together.  
Even for just a while.

But there had always been a question I still couldn’t answer.  
After I find the cure,   
Would I also do one for me?  
Would I still want to turn back to human?  
Would I still want to be normal?

Finding the cure would take away my life purpose.  
In my long life as a vampire,   
My main reason for existing is to find it.  
Once i’m done with my mission,  
What’s next?  
I don’t even know what to answer.

I wiped my bloody hands and reached for my suitcase.  
I neatly placed the documents inside.   
Then I saw our photo from 25 years ago.  
It was a polaroid taken at the underground lab.  
“A souvenir”  
Just like what she said.

There's a large difference between “I can’t forget” and “I won’t forget”.  
“I won’t forget”,  
It’s a choice.  
You can, but you choose to not do it.  
Ydah is someone you wouldn’t like to forget.

I have said it a million times before,   
I may just be a ghost to Ydah,  
A fragment of a traumatic past.  
An unwritten part of a long story.  
But I choose to not forget her.

I choose to not move on from the past.  
Because that past was the only time I felt happiness.  
Happiness that I’m willing to revisit,  
Even though it means I have to also revisit my dark and sad past.

I took the venom,  
I took all the pills.  
I tried to take the sadness from her.  
I tried bringing light to her hopeless heart.  
I stayed at her side when she needed me.  
I continued fulfilling the dream she wanted.

But at the end of the day,   
We’re just misplaced characters in each other’s story.  
Not all stories end the way you wanted it to be.  
Life has its own set of twists and turns.  
Mazes, puzzles, life and death situations.

Ydah might have already started a chapter of her own long ago.  
Away and safe from me.  
I’ll never know what will happen to those next chapters.  
But one thing’s for sure,  
I’m no longer included in that story.

But on my story,  
She’s still one of the main characters.  
A ghost from the past.  
A ghost that will haunt me till my last breath.  
A beautiful haunting that will forever remind me of the temporary happiness I had,   
When I was still a human.

I looked at my reflection at the rearview mirror,  
I ripped open the upper part of my button down shirt to expose my neck.  
The buttons fell to the carpet of my car.  
I then scratched myself,  
My own blood started to soak my shirt.

I then ripped open the right sleeve of my shirt,  
Exposing my wrist.  
I bit myself.  
It started to bleed.  
I wiped the excess blood from my lips and dialed the phone.

“This is Josh.  
Please help us,   
We were attacked by vampires!”

I’m telling you,  
My story is not finished yet.  
I’m not sure what chapter are we in,  
But I can guarantee you,   
We have only just begun.


	31. Chapter 31

Epilogue   
Josh’s POV

“Thank you for saying yes.”  
Ydah told me.  
We just finished cleaning after Ydah’s stand-off with Case 16 earlier.  
Case 16’s been put to sleep already.  
She was also sedated to avoid future trouble while Ydah’s cuts are still fresh.

I told Ydah to just stay upstairs and rest.  
She insisted on coming and helping me clean.  
I was obliged to agree.  
There were scattered food and broken dishes.  
I’m afraid that Ydah would agan cut herself and cause another commotion.  
But luckily, it didn’t happen.

“I didn’t said yes,  
I just nodded.”  
I replied talking about the time she asked me to become her assistant in this Project.

“It’s the same thing.”  
She laughed.  
Then there was a blinding flash of light.  
I covered my eyes in shock.

“Why did you covered your face,   
I just want to take a picture of you.”  
Ydah said while holding the polaroid camera we used in taking Case 16 and 17’s photos.

“I’m not a part of the experiment,   
Why would you take a photo of me?”  
I annoyingly told her.

“A Souvenir”  
She said.

She walked towards me and tried taking photos of us together.  
I hesitated at the first shot but she was insistent.  
After three failed attempts,   
Ydah spoke.

“This is not working.”

“Yes, it’s noy working.”  
I agreed.

“I’ll take it for you.”  
Said a voice from one of the cells.  
It was Case 17.

“Would it be okay?”  
Asked Ydah.

“Sure thing,  
I was a photography enthusiast before I entered this project.”  
He said.

“Good!”  
Ydah run to his cell and gave him the Polaroid camera.  
Ydah then came back to my position.  
She stood beside me and held my hand.

“Smile!”  
Case 17 said.  
We smiled.  
Then the camera flashed.

***

“You look like a vampire”  
I said to Ydah.  
I was looking at the photo Case 17 took.  
I was teasing how bad Ydah looked because of the lighting.  
But in reality,   
The photo was beautiful,  
She was always beautiful in my eyes.  
The photo was perfect.

“So does that make me Case 19?”  
She asked.

“Why did you become Case 19?  
Is there a Case 18 I don’t know about?”  
I asked her.

“You are Case 18.  
Look at you,  
You don’t sleep.  
Look at those dark under eyes.”  
She laughed.

“Whatever.”  
I told her.

“If you can’t take care of yourself,   
At least learn how to sleep.”  
She teased me.   
I just laughed.

“For the meantime,   
I’m going to keep this.”  
She said.

She fetched a black marker,  
Then wrote something at the lower part of the polaroid.

“Case 18 & Case 19 / Project K / 04-06-1995”

“What does Project K stand for?  
I always wanted to ask you that.”  
I asked Ydah.

“Seriously?  
Project K’s made for my brother.  
So it was named after him.”  
She said rolling her eyes.

“Ken?”  
I asked her.

“Project K,  
Project Ken.”  
Then she smiled.

*End*

**Author's Note:**

> Other Books on the Series  
> Starless Eyes (Book1)  
> The Archives: Notes by Serin (A Prologue to Book 2)  
> Project K (Book 2)  
> Witness (A Prologue to Book 3)  
> Summertime (Book 3)


End file.
